Life Outside of the Shadows
by TreeOfLife1997
Summary: Based at the end of series four. When Merlin reveals his magic to save the life of Isolde, has he just sacrificed Albion's golden future? Or has he just began the new age? Arthur and the knights must come to terms with Merlin's magic. So with a little help from Taliesin, they watch Merlin's adventures. And with a new form of dark magic rising, will all be learnt before all is lost?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin

Prologue:

Tristan sat with his back against one of the pillars in the throne room.

In his arms lay Isolde.

Her breathing was faint and she was losing her life slowly, as she fought to stay those last few precious minutes in her lovers' arms.

Behind them, Arthur stood watching unable to do anything to help. At that moment, Gwen and Merlin just made it back from trying to find Morgana. With them were the Knights of the Round Table and Gaius.

"What happened?" Merlin asked, disbelief colouring his tone.

"She saved my life." Arthur answered, unable to shift his gaze from the scene before him.

Gwen stepped forward and gripped his hand and Arthur realised he had forgiven her the moment he saw Isolde laying in Tristan's arms. Watching Tristan hold the love of his life dying in his arms, made Arthur realise he couldn't live without Gwen and if anything were to happen to her… Arthur didn't know what he'd do. He was just thankful nothing had happened to Gwen during her time in exile, Arthur would never have been able to forgive himself if something had.

He knew now he definitely couldn't live without her.

Merlin and Gaius shared a look and Gaius shook his head. Merlin's face fell. There was no hope for her, she was as good as dead. Merlin turned back as Tristan let out a pained cry and bowed his head over Isolde body. Tears rolled down Tristan's cheeks, as he mourned the loss of his love.

Merlin let one tear roll down his cheek as he remember how Freya died in his arms all those years ago, he would have given his life for someone to save her from that fate. Merlin knew just how Tristan must have been feeling in that moment, as he himself had felt it before.

Merlin snapped his fingers getting everyone's attention, even Tristan's.

"Wait here," Merlin grinned. "I know a way to save her."

Merlin raced out the throne room.

"Merlin, I beg of you, do not do this." Gaius called after him.

"What's he going to do?" Elyan asked.

"Something stupid." Gaius replied, leaning on Gwaine, who was still supporting him, with the help of Percival.

Leon looked at Tristan and Isolde.

"But she's dead," he said confusion furrowing his brow.

Gaius just nodded.

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Merlin raced through the halls of the castle straight towards the dungeons. As he half run, half fell down the stairs to the dungeons in his haste, he called the guards with him. He finally came to a halt in front of one of the cells.

Within the cell, was a man, who had killed close to fifty women and children. He had been caught by the knights only a couple of weeks before Morgana took over. His sentence was death, he was to hang until dead.

"The king has ordered that this man be bought to the throne room." Merlin lied. "Now!"

The guards quickly unlocked the cell and pull the man with them as Merlin led the way back to the throne room. As he entered, everyone just stared at him, then the prisoner and guards behind him and then back at Merlin.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled. "What is the meaning of this?"

"To bring Isolde back to life, a life must be taken." Merlin explained. "This man is the only one I know who does not deserve to live."

"Merlin," Gaius pleaded. "Do not do this."

"I have to Gaius, I have lived in the shadows for too long… I have watched people die and stood by and done nothing, even though I had the power to save them." Merlin smiled sadly. "Imagine if this was Alice. Would you not want someone to save her?… Years ago I watched as the women I loved died in my arms and I was unable to do anything, but watch as the life slipped out of her. I would have given anything for someone to give me this chance."

Gaius nodded his head. "Whatever happens, my boy, I'll be proud of you. I know your father would be proud too. You mother always did say you had the kindest heart."

Merlin smiled. "Thank you, that means a lot."

Merlin spun on his heels and walked over to Tristan and Isolde. "I'm going to need her for a moment. I cannot promise if this will work, but if it does she will live once more."

Tristan smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Merlin glanced at him for a moment.

It was almost like he knew what Merlin was about to do.

Taking Isolde body, Merlin carried her to the middle of the room and laid her down. Across from him all his friends stood and watched, Tristan quickly joined them. The guards were gone, leaving only the prisoner on his knees, in chains to his left.

Merlin quickly stood and took a step backwards.

Taking a deep breathe Merlin held out his right hand and spook in the language of the old religion. There was a flash of light as his eyes burned gold, the Cup of Life appeared standing on the palm of his hand.

Merlin smiled slightly, taking it in both hands and holding it above his head. He shut his eyes, yelled the words of the spell and they echoed around the hall. All the windows explode outwards due to the power suddenly unleashed within the hall.

Outside the clear sky clouded over, as the wind picked up and howled through the windows. Then the angry grey skies open. Rain poured down like a waterfall, suddenly a bolt of brilliant white lightning struck the prisoner and he was reduced to a pile of ash.

The wind changed direction suddenly, causing the rain to fly through the destroyed windows. As the rain filled the cup in Merlin's hands, he opened his eyes. They glowed a gold so bright, it almost burned just to look.

As the cup filled, Merlin lowered his arms, the wind and rain stopped and the sky cleared. Merlin kneeled down beside Isolde, raised her head and tipped the water from the cup into her mouth. Merlin then sat back on his heels and waited.

After a couple of seconds Isolde started breathing, Merlin smiled and looked up and meeting the gaze of Tristan, he nodded. Tristan quickly moved forward and took Isolde in his arms. Merlin got up and stepped backwards as Isolde opened her eyes.

Tristan kisses her forehead.

"I thought I had lost you." Tristan muttered.

"I died. What happened?" Isolde asked.

"A friend saved you."

Merlin turned his gaze to meet theirs, Isolde offering Merlin a weak smile as she worked out it was him whom had saved her, he let the Cup of Life slip from his hand. It vanished in a flash of light, before it even had a chance to hit the ground.

Gaius meet Merlin's gaze, his eyes full of pride, Merlin half smiled. Merlin turned away slightly. He couldn't bear to look at the others, he was too scared of what he would see. No doubt Arthur believed him to be another traitor, Gwen had shown such fear when she found out Morgana had magic and as for the knights, Merlin wasn't sure what they would feel.

Tristan looked up at Merlin, just in time to see a man in purple and grey robes appears behind him, his face hidden by his hood and in his right hand was a tall black staff, which seemed to radiate power.

"Merlin!" Tristan yelled.

Merlin met his worried and slightly panicked gaze, as the hooded man placed a hand over Merlin's forehead and muttered a strange word. Merlin's eyes rolled and he fell sideways towards the floor. The hooded man caught him and lowered him to the floor.

The sound of swords being drawn echoed through the halls. The hooded man and Merlin vanished in a whirlwind, before anyone could even get close.

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**Hey, TreeOfLife1997 here. I would love it, if you have any ideas on how the different characters should react to the discovery of Merlin's magic. The reason I'm doing this is because I hated series five, it wasn't Merlin in my opinion. Merlin was too serious and too quick to judge, even when the great dragon had said kindness and forgiveness would be his down fall. It just seemed wrong. Finna and Daegal as well as Gilli and Alator will be appearing later in the story, hopefully.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin

Chapter one: The world you seek to build.

Merlin groaned and opened his eyes. Sunlight greeted him. He blinked quickly as his eyes adjusted to the new level of light. He sat up and looked around. He's sat by a bridge made of old wood, which looks almost rotten. Close to the bridge there's a small fire with a pot steaming above it, cooking some sort of stew by the smell of it.

"Ah, magic you are finally awake, I see." A voice greeted him from the other side of the fire.

Merlin looked up, to see Grettir standing there.

"What am I doing here?" Merlin asked, realising he was by the bridge to the perilous lands, aka the land of the Fisher King.

Grettir smiled, slightly. "It is time you fulfil your destiny, Magic."

"My destiny is to protect Arthur, he is the Once and Future king." Merlin answered with a slight frown.

Grettir shook his head. "The Morgana you knew is dead. She was mortally wounded, so with the last of her magic she fled to a place hidden deep in the far mountains and spilt her blood on the stone of Mordred the dark... He is known to have practiced the darkest of the dark arts of magic, not even Morgana would have been able to practice the likes of which he practiced, and she wouldn't have had the power to.

"When she spilt her blood on the stone, she died and gave her soul to him and by doing so, she awoke him from his deep sleep, he returned her life, by placing the soul of his sister in her body. By doing this, your destiny has changed."

"Changed how?" Merlin asked.

"You no longer protect the Once and Future King and him alone. You now protect all those with magic, too. But first you must restore these lands to what they once were. For this land is to become the only kingdom where magic is practised freely and without limitation. Once this land is restored all those with magic will come here and you are to protect them, until a time when magic is free in all of Albion."

"But how am I to do that?" Merlin questioned. "I don't have that type of power."

"You don't have magic, you are magic." Grettir answered. "You are magic in a physical form. You are a creature of the old religion. You are Emrys the immortal. You are King of the Druids. You are the last high priest of the Old Religion. You are the last Dragon Lord. It is what you were born to do."

Merlin just stared at Grettir. "But I don't know enough about magic."

Grettir smiled, in his hands appeared a staff of white wood. "This is the staff of Emrys, it was created by the gods for you... And you alone can wield its power. It will aid you and it will guide you."

Behind them a branch snapped, Merlin spun round and out of the trees stepped a man in purple and grey robes.

"Greetings, Emrys," the man said.

"Alator of the Catha," Merlin replied.

"It is good to see you are awake, at last." Alator bowed. "I fear the spell I used to knock you out was more powerful than I expected."

Merlin sighed. "You could have just told me to come here, you know?"

Alator smiled. "I feared they would kill you before you had the chance."

Merlin nodded sadly. "I fear I am no longer welcome in Camelot."

"It is time for you to start your quest, Magic," Grettir explained. "You have to succeed, for if you do not there will be no Albion and no golden age."

Merlin sighed. "So no pressure then."

Gaius sat at one of his work benches, across from him sat Isolde and Tristan. They were staying with him until some of the guest quarters had been prepared for them. Tristan had explained to Isolde what Merlin had done and how he had been kidnapped.

It was an understatement to say she was shocked that he would use magic like that for her and was worried for him, god knows who that person was and what they were going to do with him.

"I still can't believe it. That he risked being caught and executed for me," she muttered.

Gaius smiled. "Merlin knows what it means to have loved and to have lost. Far too many who are close to him have died. He could not bear to see another go through that pain. Every time one of his kin are killed, it breaks his heart a little more, because he fears it proves Arthur will never truly accept him." Gaius looked sad. "He is the most powerful warlock who has ever lived or will ever live, so if Arthur could not accept those with minor powers, what would he do if he found on his own manservant was the most powerful of them all?"

"But why me? Why did he not do it for someone else? I don't have magic like so many he must have seen die."

"I'm surprised he's lasted four years here without doing what he did sooner. Truth be told, he only mastered the power over life and death in his first year here, so those before that he could not save. But every time someone was killed I feared Merlin would step in and stop it, I guess he just finally had enough and knew it was time to change. He helped many escape the dungeons, but those who were chased down he couldn't save," Gaius replied.

"He spoke of someone called Freya, who was she?" Tristan asked.

"That is not my tale to tell, I'm afraid," Gaius answered. "But he loved her and she died in his arms, much like Isolde did in yours."

Tristan gripped Isolde hand. "I will be forever grateful for what he did, for I could not live without you, Isolde."

Isolde smiled. "Then we will have to find him, thank him and keep him safe."

"If you wish to find him, you are best off finding the druids." Gaius offered. "They will most likely know where he is."

"You do not seem that bothered by the fact he was kidnapped," Tristan muttered.

Gaius smiled. "The man who took Merlin will do him no harm. Of that I am sure. It was Alator of the Catha. He, like the druids, is loyal to Merlin, as are all the Catha. I guess he feared Merlin would be killed and took him away. After all Merlin would never willingly leave Camelot, even if he was sentenced to death."

Percival and Gwaine sat on the training field. Nobody had spoken about Merlin since he was taken. Gwaine had been one of the first to draw their sword, but was too late to save him.

News had spread fast that Merlin was a sorcerer and how he had saved Isolde life. Everyone in the castle knew about it, surprisingly the servants seemed to find it a great honour that one of their own would risk so much to save one person from death and another from heart break.

"So..." Gwaine muttered, looking around. "Let's talk about Merlin."

"What is there to say?" Percival replied. "He's a sorcerer and, if he ever returns to Camelot, the king will have his head."

Gwaine laughed. "Do you think he could turn water into ale?"

Percival rolled his eyes. "That's all you think about, isn't it?"

"Yep," Gwaine answered with a grin.

"It makes sense, though." Percival spoke up after a moment's silence.

"What does?" Gwaine asked.

"Merlin having magic." Percival answered.

"How so?" Gwaine questions.

"Well think about it, Gwaine." Percival sighed. "How many times do tree branches snap and fall on the enemy? Or bandits drop their weapons, just as they are about to attack us from behind? Or arrows that suddenly fly off course? We always said it was luck, but it must have been Merlin, no one gets lucky, that many times."

Gwaine nodded. "All those times, he seems to know what's about to happen before it happens. All those times Merlin warns us not to trust people and it later turns out they are not trust worthy. All those times when he knew so much about magic, like that time when we passed through the druid burial site or whatever it was." Gwaine glanced at Percival. "You don't seem to care that Merlin has magic."

"I don't." Percival shrugged slightly.

"Why? All Arthur ever goes on about is how evil magic is and how we should never trust it and how the kingdom will never be safe until magic is gone for good. He almost sounds like Uthur sometimes!"

Percival shrugged again. "After my family were killed by Cenred's men, the druid took me in for a while, until I was old enough to look after myself. They used magic. They have never hurt anyone. Even when they are threatened they do not harm people with magic. All I have ever seen them do is heal people and use magic to make their lives more comfortable. Magic is not evil. It is the person who uses it."

Gwaine nodded. "I have travelled to many places over the years, not all are like Camelot. There are places where magic is practiced freely. I have seen the good it can do, but I have also seen the damage it can do. I agree with you. Magic isn't evil."

Arthur stood staring out the window of his chambers. Behind him at the table sat Elyan, Gwen and Leon.

"How could he betray me like this?!" Arthur demanded. "After all the damage he has seen magic do! How could he do this?!"

Gwen looked at Arthur sadly. Merlin had been her best friend too and he still was her best friend.

"We don't know why he started practicing magic. Maybe his mother got sick and he was forced to turn to magic to cure her. I mean you know how much he cares for her. Maybe his friend Will taught him. Remember was a sorcerer." Gwen reasoned.

Arthur turned and glared at her. "Magic is evil. All those who practice it are evil. It corrupts your soul."

"How do we know that for sure?" Gwen reasoned again.

"Gwen, magic got our father killed," Elyan said. "If it was not for magic he would still be alive."

"NO!" Gwen exclaimed. "If it wasn't for magic our father would have died! When that illness spread through the water and my father was affected, magic was used to cure him! I always thought it was strange how Merlin knew my father was better. He even went and told the Uther he was the sorcerer who did it! He wasn't lying."

She didn't wait for the men to respond as she fled from the room.

Elyan watched her go, before getting to his feet. "I need to go after her."

He left Arthur alone with Leon calling for Gwen to wait for him as he did so. Arthur finally sat down at the table. Leon knew better than to say anything. Everyone knew Merlin was Arthur best friend, even if Arthur could never admit it.

"Why would he betray us like this?" Arthur finally asked.

Leon shook his head. "I have no idea, Sire."

Arthur looked at Leon. "Did you ever suspect him?"

"He has been accused of sorcery time and time again." Leon answered.

"Just answer the question, Leon." Arthur snapped.

"I always thought there was something different about him, but I would never have said it was magic." Leon replied.

Arthur sighed. "To make it worse, he must have been using magic under our noses for years. If what Guinevere said was true and he healed her father then he must have had magic when I met him. It was only a couple of months after he become my manservant. You do not learn the art of sorcery that quickly."

"So what are you going to do, Sire?" Leon asked.

"We have to find him," Arthur finally concluded. "If we can bring him back to Camelot, we can make sure he never practices sorcery again. Like Gaius stopped for my father."

"And what if he refuses?" Leon questioned.

Arthur took a deep breath. "Then I will have no choice but to sentence him to death."

**Hello, I hope you enjoyed reading that chapter. I'll update as soon as I can,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

**Welcome to the crystal caves.**

The great hall was almost silent, as everyone took their seats. Around the table sat Arthur, Gwen, Elyan, Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Tristan, Isolde and Gaius. They all knew what they were here to talk about: Merlin.

"I have come to a decision," Arthur started. "We are going to find Merlin. We will bring him back to Camelot, where he will swear never to use magic again. If he does not, he will be sentenced to death, burnt at the stake as the law states."

Gwen was on her feet in seconds, glaring at Arthur from her place across the table to him.

"You cannot do that, Arthur Pendragon." She stated, trying to keeping herself as calm as she can.

"And why not?" Arthur demanded.

"Because he is your friend." Gwen answered. "Your best friend."

Gwaine nodded in agreement as does Percival, who was seated next to Gwaine. Elyan squeezed his sister hand, to show his support. He could not help kill the man, who had given his sister extra time with their father. Someone who did all in their power to save Gwen, even when it meant going to the flames instead of her.

Gaius was also glaring at Arthur from his place beside him, if only he understood Merlin never had a choice whether he practiced magic or not. He was born with it. Beside him Isolde and Tristan were nodding their agreement.

"Merlin is a sorcerer," Arthur stated. "He cannot be allowed to live if he practices magic. It is evil. We have all seen the damage it does. Look what it did to Morgana!"

"Merlin is not evil! Morgana and Merlin are two totally different people!" Gwen exclaimed. "Would someone who is evil, risk being killed to save the life of someone they had only just meet?"

"He killed a man! Merlin would never kill if it wasn't for magic corrupting him!" Arthur almost yelled.

"Yes he did," Tristan agreed. "But the man he killed was going to die anyway! You were going to chop off his head or hang him. What is the difference?"

For this Arthur had no answer, it was true the man was going to die anyway. Merlin had chosen to save a life and, while he did take one to do it, he did it knowing he would be put to the pyre as a result.

"We should not blame magic for what Merlin did, with or without magic Merlin would have tried his hardest to save Isolde!" Gwaine explained. "Think about it, princess... Merlin goes into battle with us, he has no amour or weapons and yet he always makes it out alive and with little to no injuries. And so do we! Even when we are hopelessly out numbered!

"And that is thanks to Merlin and his magic! We manage to kill all the magical creature we have ever faced, that are said to only be killable with magic, and yet we kill them! But only because we have Merlin's help."

Arthur simply glared at Gwaine who smirks slightly, knowing Arthur knew it to be true.

"If we had all paid more attention, we would all know Merlin has magic." Percival agreed. "Things always happen around Merlin, but we never thought to think about it, we always said it was luck. When it was in fact Merlin."

Again Arthur couldn't answer.

Beside him Gaius smiled, it was good to see that so many people were willing to speak out against the king for the sake of Merlin. But Gaius knew Merlin was unlikely to return, he would most likely think he was no longer welcome. With a sad smile, Gaius knew he would not see his ward again for a long time.

"Leon," Arthur muttered. "We have not heard your opinion on the matter yet."

Leon looked round at his friends. He didn't know what to say, he was loyal to the king, but Merlin was a good friend of his and had helped him time and time again.

"I believe magic can be used for good," Leon finally spoke. "The druids have healed me before, even though I was a Knight of Camelot and should have killed them on sight."

Arthur sat down, it was clear no one was going to agree with him, he didn't even need to ask Gaius to know what he would say.

"So what do you think we should do?" Arthur asked, one elbow resting on the arm of his chair while he rubbed his temple in frustration.

"We need to find him and bring him home." Gaius answered. "Camelot is where he belongs, it is his home."

)o(

Merlin walked through the perilous lands and had been walking for better part of a day.

In his hands was a staff of white wood, covered in runes and other magical symbols. He could feel the power radiating of it, mixing with his own magic. He almost wished Gwaine and Arthur were secretly following him, like he and Gwaine had followed Arthur through these lands.

But he knew they were not, the chances were Arthur would kill him next time they meet, a meeting Merlin was not looking forward to. Merlin could beat Arthur with a snap of his figures or a signal word, but he would sooner die then use magic against Arthur.

Around Merlin the land was passing in a blur, using magic to make him travel faster, ever step was covering a mile. He knew the trip to the tower would take days otherwise and he didn't have days to waste.

Merlin finally reached the land cliff overlooking the tower. The first time Merlin had seen the tower he hadn't paid that much attention to it, being more worried about the creature attacking Arthur at the time. But now he got the chance to really look at it.

The tower was grey, like the colour of a dusty bone. Parts of the walls were falling away and destroyed. Merlin shivered. The place looked positively evil, the curse that had effected these lands really had destroyed it.

Removing the traveling spell he'd been using, Merlin quickly made his way over to the tower. As he entered the court yard, his skin began to tingle, his magic was moving under his skin and feeling like it would break free any moment.

Standing in the centre of the court yard, Merlin looked round, he was surprised the tower was still standing, in was in such a state of ruin. Taking his staff in both hands, he raised it into the air and he yelled the words of the spell and slams the staff down into the ground, not unlike what Morgana did with the skeleton army.

Merlin smiled as he felt the raw power flowing around him, from him and mixing with the earth magic around him. The ground began to shake and before Merlin even had a chance to move, burning bright gold magic explodes from the ground around him.

The light faded and Merlin glanced round. The tower was transformed into a stunning bright white tower of stone, much like Camelot and didn't look so evil anymore, it looked magical in fact. Grinning, Merlin grabbed the staff and rushes out the court yard.

The sight that greeted him, would make anyone smile. The land had be returned to its former glory, there was even a small town surrounding the tower. All across the land, trees and plants had returned to life and grown strong and tall once more.

Villages and towns had been rebuilt. Animals and birds roamed freely. You could feel the magic in the air. The sky had changed from a hazy orange and red, to a sky blue littered with fluffy white clouds, even the sun seemed to shine brighter.

Merlin just smiled, it felt good to use his power to create such a land.

)o(

It was late afternoon when Arthur, the knights, Isolde, Tristan, Gwen and Gaius set off to try and find Merlin. It had been rumoured that there were some druids in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. So that was where they were heading.

If the druids didn't know where Emrys was, then no one would. As they entered the valley Gaius could understand why Merlin said it was like hitting a barrier or a wall. The pure power of the place hit with such a force, you stopped.

Gwen, who noticed Gaius stop, looked at him with concern.

"Is everything alright, Gaius?" she asked, voice laced with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just thought I saw something that is all." He lied.

He didn't think Arthur would be able to cope with another 'betrayal' quite yet. He only practiced the odd spell, even after all the years since the purge and his promise, but he was still a sorcerer and he still had magic.

Before they entered the valley they left the horses, no animal would enter the valley for more than a couple of feet. Gaius was surprised Arthur and the knights ever got their horses to travel through the valley. It was a miracle the skittish horses had gone as far as they had reached. And so they were forced to leave the horses near the entrance to the valley.

Gaius couldn't shake the sinking feeling of dread that seemed to settle in his stomach the deeper they got in the valley. He understood why Merlin hated the place then because of that oppressive magic that blanketed the valley, but that wasn't it and his bad feeling was proven true as bandits streamed from every hidden place around them, streaming down the banks like ants out an ant hill.

"Everyone this way!" Arthur yelled, as Percival lifted Gaius into his arms, carrying the older man far quicker than Gaius would have been able to move on his own. Not that Gaius was too pleased about it.

Weaving in and out of murderous bandits the knights quickly surrounded Gwen trying to protect her and Gaius who was being carried by Percival, as they moved. They finally came to a cave.

"In here quickly." Arthur commanded, sounding much like the king he was.

Gwen gasped as they enter the main cave, with crystal lined walls all round them lit with an un-earthy glow.

"It's beautiful!" she breathed, looking around in awe.

"Welcome to the crystal caves." A voice behind them said.

)o(

**Hey, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I'll update soon. Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter three: The dragons call.

Taliesin stood in the crystal cave watching as Arthur and the knights turned round and drew their swords.

"Who are you?" Arthur demands.

"My name is Taliesin," He replies. "I mean you no harm. I'm here only to show some things of great importance, so that you may understand more about your friend, Merlin."

"You know where Merlin is?" Gwaine asks, lowering his sword.

"Indeed I do. And once we have finished here I will take you to him or he will come here, I am yet to decide."

"What is it you wish to show us?" Isolde asks.

Taliesin smiles. "The adventures of Merlin. He has had many adventures over the years, I fear we will not have time to see them all, so I will show you the ones that are important."

Gwaine grins. "Well then, let's get started."

"The first adventure I wish to show you is from the time Merlin first arrived in Camelot and it was also the first time Merlin saved your life, Arthur Pendragon." Taliesin states waving his hand and the crystals start glowing. A screen made of white light appears before them. "Let us begin."

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**The screen changes to show Merlin walking over a sandy ridge, a single pack on his back, with a bedroll and water skin attached to it. He glances around as he walks.**

"**No young man, no matter how great, can know his destiny. He cannot know his part in the great story, that is about to unfold."**

**At this point Merlin glances round to look at a passing horseman.**

"**Like everyone, he must live and learn."**

**The scene changes to show Merlin ducking under a low branch.**

"**And so it will be for the young warlock arriving at the gates of Camelot."**

"Is Merlin insane!?" Gwaine yells. "He's a warlock and he's about to enter Camelot! He must have a death wish!"

Gaius smiles. "I fear at the time Merlin didn't quite know what the laws were like in Camelot. He was not born in Camelot and had never before stepped foot in Camelot. He knew people feared magic and could be killed for it, but I think he believed that was only for people who used it for evil or great crimes."

"**A boy that will, in time father a legend. His name…. Merlin."**

**Merlin smiles as Camelot comes into view, a stunning castle of white stone. The scene changes to show Merlin entering the city, he looks round with a look of awe on his face. As he makes his way through the city he smiles.**

"I take it, Merlin had never been to a city before." Percival smiles.

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin came from a small village within the borders of Cenred's kingdom. He had never before seen something like Camelot."

"Merlin's not from Camelot?" Elyan asks, sounding surprised.

Gaius nodes. "Anyone who met him would think he was, he's risked so much for this kingdom and lost many people in the process."

"How many people has he lost?" Tristan asks.

"Too many." Gaius answers sadly.

**Merlin crosses the draw bridge and enters the court yard, around him horns sound. Upon entering the court yard he sees a large crowd, surrounding a wooden platform. As he draws closer the sound of drum beats fill the air. Merlin watches as a man is pulled forward to the platform by two guards.**

"**Let this serve as a lesson to you all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantment and magic. And pursuant the laws of Camelot, I, Uthur Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king,"**

**As Uthur starts speaking everyone turns to look at him and Merlin gulps and a look of horror crosses his face.**

"**But for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass."**

**It changes from Uthur to show Morgana looking out a window. Uthur nodes and the man is forced to his knees, Morgana looks away and Merlin watches in horror. The axe is raised and Uthur lowers his hand. The axe comes down with a sickening thump. Merlin looks away looking slightly paler than before, as the crowd gasps. Morgana takes and deep breath and turns her back on the sight before her.**

"What a welcome to Camelot he had." Gaius mutters, shaking his head. "I'm surprised he even stayed after that, if that had been me I would have turned and left right then."

Gwen nodes. "That must have been horrible to watch. Especially when it could have been Merlin in that poor man's place."

"**When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos. But with the people's help, magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival, to celebrate twenty years since the great dragon was captured, and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin."**

"How could anyone celebrate the death of someone like that?" Isolde asks, shocked.

**The people watched as Uthur spoke, but none of them look happy as he declared a time of celebrations. Merlin looked positively horrified. As everyone turns to leave, a women's wail sounds from the crowd. Everyone stops and turns to look at her, an old women dressed in rusty coloured robes.**

"**There is only one evil in this land and it is not magic," She cries. "It is you! With you hatred and your ignorance." She wails. "You took my son, and I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears…. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son."**

"An eye for an eye, makes the world go blind." Percival mutters wisely.

"**Seize her." Uthur yells.**

**The women looks round quickly, before grabbing the crystal hanging around her neck, she shrieks the words of a spell and vanishes in a whirlwind before the guards can even get close. Merlin looks slightly pleased that she got away. But Uthur just storms off into the castle. And Morgana shuts her window.**

"Can Merlin do that? The transporting spell, I mean." Elyan asks.

Gaius shrugs. "I have no trouble believing he has enough power, weather he knows the spell is a different matter. He doesn't have much of a chance to practice in Camelot."

**Merlin quickly makes his way towards the castle and stops to ask the guards where he can find Gaius, the court physician. Merlin quickly makes his way towards Gaius's quarters. He knocks on the half open door, before entering, the seemingly empty chambers. **

**The sight that greets him is tables full of jars and bottles full different coloured liquids. Stacks of books and papers are piled high around the room, with the odd paper lying around. There was even an odd rabbit like mask lying on one table. **

**Merlin looks round as he makes his way further into the room, he finally spots Gaius standing on the balcony on the far side of the room, sorting books and papers.**

"**Gaius?" he calls. **

**When he doesn't hear him, Merlin clears his throat to get his attention. **

**Gaius turns and looks down, but as he does so, he falls backwards through the balcony rail, which gives way under his weight.**

"Gaius!" Everyone yells.

**Merlin's eyes flash gold and Gaius's fall slows, Merlin quickly looks around the room and spots a bed on the far side of the room, his eyes flash again and the bed moves across the room. His eyes flash once more and time returns to its normal speed. Gaius crash lands on to the bed, he lies there in shock for a moment before he quickly gets to his feet.**

"Wow," Tristan mutters. "He just watched someone lose their head for using magic and not five minutes later he risks being caught to save the life of someone he didn't even know."

Arthur turns and looks at Gaius. "You knew from the start, that he was a sorcerer."

Gaius nodes. "He saved my life, within minutes of me knowing him."

"**What did you just do?" Gaius demands.**

"**Umm…" Merlin replies.**

"**Tell me!"**

"**I-I, I have no idea what happened."**

**Gaius looks at Merlin then back up at the broken balcony. "If anyone had seen that…."**

"**Err, no…. That-that was nothing to do with me, that-that was…."**

"**I know what it was, I just want to know where you learnt to do it."**

"**Nowhere!" Merlin quickly answers.**

"**So how is it you know magic?"**

"**I don't!"**

"**Where did you study?... Answer me!"**

"**I-I, I never studied magic. Or been taught!"**

"**Are you lying to me, boy?"**

"**What do you want me to say?"**

"**The truth!"**

"**I was born like this."**

"**That's impossible!"**

"Is it impossible?"

"No. Merlin was born with his magic, he could use it within seconds of being born, and when he first opened his eyes they glowed gold." Gaius answers.

"Wow!" Gwen mutters.

Arthur just huffs. "Why did he never tell me?" he whispered.

"**Who are you?" Gaius demands.**

"**Oh, erm," Merlin stutters. He pulls his pack from his back. "I have this letter." Merlin pulls a letter from his pack.**

"**I don't have my reading glasses." Gaius explains looking down at the letter Merlin was holding out.**

"**I'm Merlin."**

**Gaius visibly brightens. "Hunith's son?" **

"**Yes!" Merlin agrees with a grin.**

"**But you're not meant to be here until Wednesday!"**

**Merlin's face falls slightly. "It is Wednesday."**

Everyone laughs, and Gaius goes slightly red.

"Just you wait until you get to my age." He mutters darkly.

"**Arrr, right then. You better put your bag in there." He points to a room up a couple of steps at the back of the chamber. Merlin quickly starts walking towards it. But he then turns back to Gaius half way.**

"**You won't say anything about, erm…." Merlin pointing towards the balcony.**

"**No," Merlin turns to walk away. "Although Merlin, I should say thank you." Gaius smiles.**

**Merlin smiles and nodes and quickly makes his way up to his new room. Gaius looks at the balcony once more then watches Merlin walk up to his room.**

"If it wasn't for Merlin, I more than likely wouldn't be standing here now." Gaius smiles. "I owe him my life more than once. We all do."

**The scene changes to show Merlin sitting down on the bed in his new room. He looks around the room and spots a window, he gets up and makes his way over to it. He climbs up and pulls the window open and looks out with a smile. **

**The view before him is stunning. The sky is slightly cloudy and the moon is full. The city around the castle looks amazing with candles lighting the odd window or an odd torch light from the guards patrolling the town. Merlin just keeps smiling as he takes in all the details.**

**The scene changes to Hunith writing a letter. Her voice echo's around the cave.**

"**My dear Gaius, I turn to you for I feel lost and alone and don't know who to trust. It is every mother's fate to think her child is special and, yet I would give my life that Merlin were not so. Ours is a small village and he is so clearly at odds with the people here that, if he were to remain, I fear what would happen to him. He needs a hand to hold, a voice to guide, someone that might help him find a purpose for his gifts. I beg, you if you understand a mother's love for her son, keep him safe and may god save you both." As the letter is read the scene changes to show Gaius reading the letter. He looks up towards Merlin's room once he finished reading the letter, he then folds the letter up.**

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**The scene changes again to show Morgana watching out a window. **

"**Morgana." Uthur greets from behind her.**

"**Yes?"**

"**What is it? Why are you not joining us at the feast?"**

"**I just don't think chopping off someone's head is a cause for celebration." Morgana replies, turning back to look out the window. "The poor mother."**

"**It was simple justice for what he'd done."**

"**To whom?" Morgana demands. "He practiced some magic, he didn't hurt anyone."**

**Uthur glares at his ward. "You were not around twenty years ago. You have no idea what it was like."**

"**How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?"**

"**Until they relies there is no room for magic in my kingdom!" Uthur almost yelled. "You will be with me when I greet Lady Helen." Uthur turns and storms away.**

"**I told you, I will have no part in these celebrations!" Morgana yells after him.**

**Uthur turns back to Morgana. "I am you guardian! I expect you to do as I ask. If you show me no respect at least respect our finest singer." Uthur turns on his heels and storms off.**

"**You know, the more brutal you are, the more enemies you will create!" Morgana yells after him.**

"I miss the old Morgana." Gwen sighs.

"So do I." Arthur agrees taking her hand. "But that is what magic does to people."

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**The scene changes to show a small camp in the middle of the forest. Guards surround the camp, and there is a fire burning in the middle of the camp. It shows Lady Helen sitting combing her hair in front of a mirror, humming. Outside her tent a branch snaps, Lady Helen jumps and looks round wildly.**

"Who is she?" Gwaine asks.

"That is Lady Helen, she was a brilliant singer." Arthur answers. "My father often got her to sing at feast and other celebrations."

"**Hello?" she calls. "Gregory?"**

**A knight appears through the entrance to the tent. **

**"Lady Helen." He bows his head.**

**Lady Helen smiles in relief. "Is all well?"**

"**Yes, ma'am." He replies. "With all luck we should be at Camelot tomorrow evening."**

"**That's good."**

"**I'll be outside if you need me." Gregory informs her, stepping out of the tent. A noise sounds from the wood and Gregory draws his sword.**

"**Who's there?" he demands. "Who's there?"**

**Back in the tent lady Helen is holding a hand mirror and cleaning her face. She almost drops her mirror as a branch cracks outside her tent once more. She turns in her chair to see the shadow of a hooded figure walked past. **

**Lady Helen quickly gets to her feet and grabs the support pole in the middle of her tent, she gasps as an old women appears before her, Mary Collins, the women who swore to kill Prince Arthur. Lady Helen watches as she starts to chant and pulls out a straw doll and a knife. **

**As Mary plugs the knife into the doll, Lady Helen doubles over in pain. Mary repeated the action twice more and Lady Helen falls back on to her bed, dead. Mary walks past her and sits down in front of the mirror. **

**She picks up her crystal and starts chanting, the crystal starts to glow a fire like orange. As soon as the chant is finished Mary's form changes into that of Lady Helens'. She quickly feels her face and picks up a mirror. **

**But the mirror shows her true form.**

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"**Merlin." A deep voice booms. "Merlin."**

**Merlin opens his eyes. Looking around his room he notices it is early morning, but there is no one around. He quickly sits up and looks at the sunlight streaming through his window.**

**The scene changes to Merlin walking down the steps from his room, pulling on his jacket.**

"**I got you water," Gaius mutters, pouring what could be porridge into a bowl. "You didn't wash last night."**

"**Sorry." Merlin mutters as Gaius puts the bowl down on the table. **

"**Help yourself to breakfast." Gaius mutters walking away slightly. **

**Merlin picks up a spoonful and lets it drop back into the bowl, not even sure if it was food. Without Merlin noticing Gaius edges forwards and pushes the bucket off the table. Merlin notices the bucket drop and his eyes flash gold, he holds out his hand and jumps to his feet. Merlin and Gaius look at each other for a moment. The bucket was frozen in mid-air, Merlin lets the bucket crash to the floor.**

"Now that is cool." Gwaine grins.

"Why did you do that, Gaius?" Percival asks.

"I wanted to see how Merlin's magic worked. I didn't believe that he could just do magic without spells."

Gwen smiles. "I can't believe you would play a trick on Merlin like that what if someone had walked in and seen."

Gaius looked slightly ashamed. "Luckily no one did."

"**How did you do that?" Gaius demands. "Did you incant a spell in your mind?"**

**Merlin shakes his head. "I don't know any spells."**

"**So how did you do it? There must be something."**

**Merlin shrugs. "It just happens."**

**Merlin quickly rushes off, grabs a mop and rushes back over.**

"**Well, we better keep you out of trouble." Gaius sighs as Merlin starts to clean up the mess.**

Elyan snorts. "Good luck with that, Merlin always seems to find trouble."

Gaius laughs. "Merlin and I have found ourselves in quite the tight spot over the years. Almost makes me feel young again, helping him on most of his adventures."

"**You can help me until I find some paid work for you. Here." Gaius hands Merlin a couple of bottles. "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival and, this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blinds as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once." **

"**Okay." Merlin nodes taking the bottles. **

"**And here." Gaius holds out a plate with a sandwich on it, which Merlin grateful takes. "Off you go." Merlin quickly makes for the door. "And Merlin, I need hardly tell you that the practice of any enchantment will get you killed."**

**Merlin walks through the halls, eating his sandwich. He crosses the courtyard and makes his way towards the knights' wing in the castle. He knocks on a door. An old nearly blind man answers the door.**

"**I bought you your medicine." Merlin holds out the small bottle. The man holds out his hand and Merlin quickly places the bottle into it. Merlin turns to walk away, but then stops and half turns. "Oh, and Gaius said don't drink it all at…." Merlin trails off as sir Olwin downs the bottle. "I'm sure it's fine." Merlin mutters, before quickly leaving. Merlin walks out into the training yard to find Arthur and some of his knights training.**

"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed as everyone else laughed.

"**Where's the target?" The prince asks.**

"**There, sire." The servant answers pointing towards the target.**

"**It's into the sun."**

"**But it's not that bright."**

"**A bit like you then." Arthur half laughs. All the knights around him laugh.**

"**I'll put the target at the other end then, shall I, sire?" the servant asks.**

**Arthur nodes and the servant begins to carry the target to the other end of the field.**

"**Teach him a lesson, go on boy." One of the knight's laugh.**

"**This'll teach him."**

"**Yeah."**

"**Ha-ha. Teach him a lesson."**

**Arthur throws the dagger at the target, the servant is carrying.**

"**Hey! Hang on." The servant says stopping.**

"**Don't stop!" Arthur yells.**

**The servant moves the target. "Here?"**

**From a window in the castle Gwen watches the scene with a look of disappointment.**

"**I told you to keep moving!" Arthur yells, as he throws another dagger. "Come on run." He yells, getting ready to throw again.**

**The servant moves as fast as he can, whist carrying the large target. Whilst Arthur just keeps on throwing more daggers.**

Everyone turns to look at Arthur, who looks ashamed.

"You really were a part." Gwaine growls.

Everyone nodes their agreement.

"**Do you want some moving target practice?" Arthur calls to the other knights.**

**The servant suddenly trips and drops the target. Merlin puts a foot on it so the servant can't pick it up.**

"**Hey, come on, that's enough now."**

"**What?" Arthur asks.**

"**You have had your fun, my friend." Merlin replies.**

"**Do I know you?" Arthur asks.**

"**Err, I'm Merlin."**

"**So I don't know you."**

"**No."**

"**Yet you called me 'Friend'."**

"**That was my mistake."**

"**Yes, I think so."**

"**Yeah. I could never have a friend, who could be such an ass." Merlin carries on, before turning and walking away.**

"Go Merlin." Gwaine cheers.

"**Or one who could be so stupid." Merlin stops walking, but doesn't turn around, he sighs slightly. "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?"**

**Merlin turns round and shakes his head. "No."**

"**Would you like me to help you?"**

"**I wouldn't if I were you."**

"See Arthur, he warned you about his magic."

"**Why? What are you going to do to me?" Arthur laughs.**

"**You have no idea."**

"**Be my guest." Arthur grins. "Come on, come on, come on."**

**Merlin goes to punch Arthur but he grabs his arm and twists it behind his back. In the window of the castle Gwen looks surprised.**

"**I'll have you thrown in the dungeons for that." Arthur hisses.**

"**Why? Who do you think you are? The king?"**

"**No. I'm his son. Arthur."**

**A couple of guards escort Merlin to the dungeons, were he is thrown into a cell. Merlin looks around, but apart from that doesn't look too bothered.**

Leon shakes his head. "What a way to start your time in Camelot."

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**The scene changes once more to show Lady Helen arriving at the castle. As she arrives outside the castle, she is helped down from her horse by one of the guards. As she walks towards the steps her true form is shown in a puddle. She quickly walks through the castle to the throne room where she is greeted by Uthur. Morgana and Gwen and some other people are there too.**

"How did no one notice that?" Elyan asks, shaking his head.

"**Lady Helen," he greets. "Thank you so much for coming to sing at our celebrations."**

"**The pleasure is all mine." She smiles.**

"**How was your journey?"**

"**Oh the time it took sire."**

**Uthur took both her hands and kissed them. "Well it is always worth the wait."**

"**It will be." She replies somewhat darkly. She grips her crystal necklace as she does so.**

"Come on, she couldn't sound more evil if she tried." Elyan complains.

**The scene changes to Merlin asleep in the dungeons.**

"**Merlin." A voice calls. **

"Whose voice is that?" Leon asks.

Gaius smiles. "You will find out soon enough."

**Merlin wakes up and looks round.**

"**Merlin." The voice calls again. Merlin stumbles backwards.**

"**Merlin." Noticing the sound seems to be coming from underground he places his ear to the ground.**

"**Merlin." Gaius yells from behind him. "You never cease to amaze me! The one thing that someone like you should be doing is keeping your head down. And what do you do? You go and behave like an idiot."**

"I wondered what he was doing." Gaius mutters.

"**I'm sorry." Merlin mutters but he doesn't look too sorry.**

"**You're lucky. I manger to pull a few strings to get you released."**

"**Oh, thank you, thank you."**

"**Well there is a small price to pay."**

**The scene changes to show Merlin in the stocks, laughing and smiling. **

"Only Merlin could find the stocks fun." Arthur mutters.

"**Thank you!" He calls to Gaius as he walks past laughing. "Oh no." Merlin mutters with a smile as the kids pick up some more vegetables. **

**As the kids run off to find more vegetables, Gwen walks up to Merlin, who looks up as he notices her approach.**

"**I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen." She smiles. "I'm Lady Morgana's maid."**

"**Right," Merlin mutters. "I'm Merlin." He hold out his hand the best he can and Gwen shakes it. "Although most people just call me 'idiot'." Merlin grinned.**

"**No, no, no." Gwen cries. "I saw what you did. It was brave."**

**Merlin shook his head. "It was stupid."**

"**Well I'm glad you walked away. You weren't going to beat him."**

"**Oh, I… I can beat him." Merlin snorts.**

Tristan smiles. "I bet he could."

"**You could? It's just you don't look like one of those big, muscle-y kind of fellows."**

"**Thanks." **

"**No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just, umm, Arthur's one of those real rough, tough, save the world kind of men…. And…. Well…."**

"**What?"**

"**You don't look like that."**

**Merlin grins and motions Gwen closer, looking around he whispers. "I'm in disguise."**

"See he actually almost told you he had magic."

**Gwen and Merlin both start laughing. "Well, it's great you stood up to him."**

"**What? You think so?"**

"**Arthur is a bully and everyone thought you were the real hero."**

"**Oh, really?"**

"**Mm-hmm."**

**Merlin watches as the children come running back. "Oh, excuse me, Guinevere. My fans are waiting." Merlin grins. Gwen smiles and quickly moves on, as Merlin gets more vegetables thrown at him.**

**The scene changes to show Merlin and Gaius back in their quarters.**

"**Do you want vegetables with that?" Gaius asks as they sit down to eat. Merlin just laughs.**

Everyone laughed.

"**I know you are still angry with me."**

"**You mother asked me to look after you."**

"**Yes."**

"**What did your mother say about your gifts?"**

"**That I was special."**

"**You are special. The likes of which I have never seen before."**

"**What do you mean?" Merlin asked.**

"**Well, magic requires incantations, spells. It takes years of study. What I saw you do was…. Elemental, instinctive."**

"**What's the point if it can't be used?"**

"**That I do not know. You are a question that has never been posed before, Merlin."**

**Merlin looks down for a moment. "Did you ever study magic?"**

"**Uthur banned all such work twenty years ago."**

"**Why?"**

"**People used it for the wrong ends at the time. It threw the natural order into chaos. Uthur made it his mission to destroy everything from back then…. Even the dragons."**

"**What? All of them?"**

"**There is one dragon he choose not to kill, he kept it as an example. He imprisoned it in a cave deep beneath the castle, where no one can free it." Gaius explains. "Now eat up. When you're finished, I need you to take a preparation to Lady Helen. She needs it for her voice."**

**Merlin walks up some steps and along a corridor. He enters Lady Helens room. He puts down the bottle and looks round. He notices a straw doll and picks it up. He puts it down as he notices a book half hidden by cloth, he picks it up and goes to open but hear Lady Helen approaching and quickly puts in down.**

"**What are you doing in here?" She demands from behind him.**

"**Umm…I, I was asked to deliver this." Merlin hands her the bottle with a smile, before quickly leaving the room. Behind him, her true reflection is shown in a mirror. Merlin stops outside her room for a moment, glances back and then carries on walking.**

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**Merlin quickly makes his way through the lower town.**

"**How's your knee walking coming along?" Arthur yells from behind Merlin. "Oh, don't run away."**

**Merlin stops, but doesn't turn around. "From you?"**

"**Thank god. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb."**

"**Look, I've told you you're an ass. I just didn't realise you were a royal one." Merlin notices the knights behind Arthur. "Oh, what are you going to do? Get you daddy's men to protect you?"**

"**I could take you apart with one blow."**

"**I could take you apart in less than that."**

"**Are you sure?"**

"**Come on, then?"**

"**Fight."**

**And so their fight begins.**

"**Come on, then." Arthur smirks. "I have to warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth."**

**Merlin laughs. "Wow, and how long have you been training to be a prat?"**

Everyone glances at Arthur before they start to laugh.

"**You can't address me like that."**

"**I'm sorry. How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?" Merlin ask, with a mocking bow.**

"I had always wondered when he first called you a prat." Gwaine mutter. "And it was the second time you meet. He's such a good judge of character."

**Arthur swings his mace at Merlin, who ducks out the way.**

"**Come on, Merlin, come on."**

**Merlin quickly ducks into the market place and trip and falls on a pile of sacks, Arthur is slowly gaining on him. Merlin quickly gets to his feet.**

"**Ha-ha, you're in trouble now."**

"**Oh god." Merlin whispers. His eyes face gold and Arthur mace gets caught in a hook. After finally untangling the mace, he starts towards Merlin again. His eyes face gold and a box moves, Arthur steps towards it and bangs his shin.**

"**Ow! Argh!" he cries.**

**As he moves towards Merlin again, Merlin eyes flash gold and a rope on the floor tightens, causing Arthur to trip. Merlin picks up his mace and grins slightly.**

Arthur sighs. "I always did wounded what happened that day."

"**Do you give up?" Merlin asks.**

"**To you?"**

"**Do you? Do you want to give up?" Merlin starts to walk towards Arthur, he backs up quickly, tripping over a bucket and falling on a pile of sacks. Merlin notices Gaius in the crowd, Arthur using this to his advantage attacks Merlin with a broom. As the guards come forwards to take Merlin to the dungeons, Arthur holds up his hand.**

"**Wait. Let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one. There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quiet put my finger on it."**

"Merlin truly is brave." Isolde smiles.

**Merlin storms into Gaius chamber shortly followed by Gaius. **

"**How could you be so foolish?"**

"**He needed to be taught a lesson."**

"**Magic must be studied, mastered and used for good! Not idiotic pranks!"**

"**What is there to master? I could move objects like that before I could even talk!"**

"**Then, by now, you should know how to control yourself!"**

"**I don't want to! If I can't use magic, what have I got? I'm just a no body and I always will be. If I can't use magic, I might as well die!"**

"It's true, Merlin is magic. Without it, he will die." Gaius smiles sadly.

**With that Merlin turns and storms up to his room. Gaius follows him a couple of minutes later, carrying his medicine bag. He looks at Merlin lying on his bed, looking quite depressed.**

"**Merlin, sit up. Take your shirt off."**

**Without a word Merlin does as he is told.**

"**You don't know why I'm like this do you?" Merlin finally asks.**

"**No." Gaius replies.**

"**I'm not a monster am I?"**

Everyone gasps.

"How could he think that?" Gwen asks.

"Merlin may not have known about magic being punished by death. But he knew people feared it. Back at his village he was often called names. Or heard people saying those with magic were monsters."

**Gaius grips Merlin shoulder and forced him to look him in the eye. "Don't ever think that!"**

"**Then why am I like this? Please I need to know why."**

"**Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me."**

"**If you can't tell me no one can." Merlin mutters looking away.**

**Gaius holds out a cup. "Drink this, it will help with the pain." **

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**Uthur and Lady Helen sat eating together, with only one servant to help serve them.**

"**Will you sing for me tonight?" Uthur asked.**

"**You will have to wait, sire."**

"**You will not deny me."**

"**I'm saving myself for my performance tomorrow. Will everyone be there?" **

"**Who would dare to miss it?"**

"**How about your son?"**

"**Well…"**

"**It seems a shame not to have meet him."**

"**That's Arthur."**

"**Poor child."**

"**Hmm?"**

"**Poor child. It can't have been easy, to grow up without a mother."**

"**No."**

"**That bound between mother and son, it's so hard to replace." **

"**Hasn't been easy."**

"**I'm sure." Lady Helen agreed smiling at Uthur who smiled back. "Perhaps if you found someone…. If you remarried. I'm sure you'd have the pick of all the ladies in the kingdom."**

"**Well, perhaps I'll find love again…. But I'm afraid it's too late to replace Arthur mother."**

"**Yes, it certainly is too late for Arthur." She muttered in a dark tone.**

"How could he not find that even slightly wrong?" Gwaine asks. "She is quite clearly evil."

"I believe, Uthur just refused to believe what he thought to be impossible."

"**Merlin." The voice calls again. "Merlin."**

**Merlin gets up, and quickly leaves the physicians quarters. He makes his way through the castle and across the court yard.**

"**Merlin."**

**Merlin heads down the steps towards the dungeons, following the voice. He stops when he sees a pair of guards playing dice. His eyes flash gold and the dice go flying down a nearby corridor, the guards both chase after the dice and Merlin smiles. He quickly grabs a torch from the wall and head down some steps.**

Leon sighs. "I really have to talk to the guards when we get back."

"**Merlin." The voice calls.**

**Merlin finally comes out on a ledge overlooking a large cave.**

"**Merlin." The voices laughter echo's around him.**

"**Where are you?" Merlin asks.**

**The great dragon suddenly flies out of nowhere and lands on the rock before him, causing Merlin to take a step back. "I am here." He looks at Merlin for a moment. "How small you are for such a great destiny."**

"Merlin spoke with the great dragon?" Arthur asks.

"Well that is quite obvious, princess, he's talking to it, is he not?"

"Shut up, Gwaine!"

Everyone laughs.

"**What do you mean? What destiny?"**

"**Your gifts Merlin, were given to you for a reason."**

"**So there is a reason."**

"**Arthur is the Once and Future king, who will unite the land of Albion."**

"I'm what?"

"**Right."**

"**But he will face many threats from friend and foe alike."**

"**I don't see what that has to do with me."**

"**Everything. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion."**

Gwen turns to Gaius. "Is that true?"

Gaius nodes. "Without Merlin, Camelot would have fallen years ago. Without Merlin you would never have been able to take back Camelot the last two times Morgana has taken over. You would all be dead without Merlin here to stop it from happening. Merlin has the power to do pretty much anything, even what I though impossible.

"He could bring Camelot crashing down with a click of his fingers. He could destroy an army without a word. He is the most powerful warlock who has ever lived or will ever live. Be grateful he is loyal to you, because if he wasn't, you wouldn't stand a chance against him. All these years, he has been helping from the shadows. Think what he can do now that he is free from hiding."

Percival thinks for a moment. "Merlin is Emrys, isn't he?"

Gaius nodes.

"**No, no, you have this wrong."**

**"There is no wrong or right. Only what is and what isn't."**

"**But I'm serious! If anyone wants to go and kill him, they can. In fact I'll give them a hand!"**

Arthur snorts. "Some friend he is."

"**Nome of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it." The dragon laughs.**

**Merlin shakes his head. "No, no way. No, no. There must be another Arthur because this one is an idiot."**

"I agree."

"**Perhaps it's your destiny to change that." With that the dragon flies off.**

"**Wait! Wait! Wait, stop! No, I need to know more." Merlin yells after the dragon.**

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**The following morning when Gaius walks into Merlin's room, there are cloths everywhere.**

"**Boy," He exclaims. "Have you seen the state of this room?"**

**Merlin shrugs. "It just happens."**

"**By magic?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Yes, well, you can clean it up without magic. And then I want you to get me some herbs: henbane, wormwood and sorrel. And deliver this to Morgana, poor girl is suffering from nightmares."**

"**Mmm, I know the feeling."**

Gaius shakes his head fondly. "My boy."

**A knock sounds at the door to Lady Helens room, a serving girl comes in carrying a bowl of fruit.**

"**Come in." Lady Helen calls.**

"**Lady Helen." She said bowing her head. "Compliments of the king."**

"**So sweet. How can I ever repay him?" **

"**When he hears you sing. Well, that will be more than enough won't it? I'm really looking forward to the performance." The girls explains, whilst tidying up the room.**

"**So am I."**

"**I love singing, you know. I sing all the time. My betrothed says I have the voice of a fallen angle." The serving girl spots Lady Helen's true image in the mirror and turns to leave but Lady Helen grabs the girls' wrist and drains the life from her. **

**She falls to the ground dead.**

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**Merlin and Gaius enter the great hall. Merlin glares at Arthur who is talking to some of his knights, who then does a double take when he sees Morgana enter the hall.**

"**God have mercy." Arthur mutters.**

**Merlin watches Morgana as she walks past.**

"**Remember Merlin, you are here to work."**

"**Oh, yeah."**

"**Some people are just born to be queen." Gwen sighs appearing beside Merlin.**

"**No!" Merlin exclaims, looking at Gwen.**

"It's almost like he knew what Morgana was to become, even then." Elyan mutters.

"Merlin's magic, knew his destiny, even his he didn't." Gaius answers. "He magic knew Morgana could be a possible threat, and that it was destined to be Gwen as queen."

"**I hope so. One day. Not that I would want to be her though. Who'd want to marry Arthur?"**

"Thanks." Arthur mutters.

**Merlin laughed. "Oh come on, Gwen. I thought you liked those real rough, tough, save the world kind of men."**

**"No, I like much more ordinary men like you."**

"**Gwen believe me, I'm not ordinary."**

"See he told you again."

"**No, I don't mean you, obviously. Not you. But just… You know… I like much more ordinary men like you."**

"**Thanks." Merlin mutters.**

**They glance at each other before they quickly part ways. As the guests take their seats, Uthur stands up.**

"**We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."**

**As people stop clapping. Lady Helen begins to sing, causing people to start falling asleep. Merlin notices what is happening and covers his ears. The people around him begins to get covered in cobwebs and the candles go out. **

**Lady Helen begins to walk forward, towards the royal table, she pulls a dagger out from up her sleeve. Merlin's eyes flash gold and the chandelier drops on her as she is about to throw the dagger at Arthur. **

**With the song stopped people begin to wake up. Mary Collins now back in her true form, throws the dagger with the last of her strength. Merlin's eyes flash gold once more and the dagger slows down, Merlin races forward and pulls Arthur out the way of the dagger. As they get to their feet, Uthur turns to Merlin.**

Gaius smiles. "That was the first time Merlin saved your life and he hasn't stopped since then. You may not have known it, but you have escaped death more times than I can count because of Merlin. Most of the time Merlin even risks his life to stop you being killed."

"**You saved my boys life. A debt must be repaid." He states.**

"**Oh, well…"**

"**Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded."**

"**No, honestly, you don't have to, your highness."**

"**No, absolutely, this merits something quite special."**

"**Well…"**

"**You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Arthur manservant."**

"**Father." Arthur complains. As Merlin and Arthur look at each other in disgust. **

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**Gaius knocks on Merlin's door as he enter Merlin's room, holding a book wrapped in red fabric.**

"**Seems you are a hero."**

"**Hard to believe, isn't it?"**

"**No. I knew it from the moment I met you. When you saved my life, remember?"**

"**But… That was with magic."**

"**And now it seems, we have finally found a use for it."**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**I saw how you saved Arthur's life."**

"**Oh, no."**

"**Perhaps that's it purpose."**

"**My destiny."**

"**Indeed. This book was given to me when I was your age, but I feel it will be of more use to you than it was to me."**

**Merlin takes the book and pulls back the cloth, opening it he flips through the pages. "But this is a book of magic."**

"**Which is why you must keep it hidden."**

"**I will study every word." Merlin vows with a smiles.**

**Behind them someone knocks on the door. "Merlin, Prince Arthur wants you right away."**

**Merlin and Gaius look at each other.**

"**Your destiny is calling. You'd better find out what he wants." Gaius nodes towards the door.**

The screen fades leaving them standing in the crystal cave once more.

Everyone looks at each other, there was so much they didn't know about Merlin.

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Hey, I hope you enjoyed that. Until next time,

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter four: The mother of the dargonlord.

Merlin sighed as he walked back over the bridge form the now not so perilous lands. Alator and Grettir were stood waiting for him.

"You did well, magic." Grettir smiles.

"Please just call me Merlin." Merlin grins, it truly did feel good to get a complement every once in a while.

"You have created a land most of us dream about, Emrys." Alator explains. "It will not be long now until many make it their home. Already the druids are on their way and so are the Catha."

Merlin smiles. "This land, will it only be home to those with magic?"

Alator shakes his head. "There are many families were only one person has magic, this land will be home to those with and without magic. Why do you ask?"

"Well it's just my mother, now I have a new home I was hoping she could live here too. Our village didn't like me much, due to that many kept away from us. My mother is skilled in the healing arts, so I'm sure she can find a job."

Alator nodes. "She is more than welcome. Many would find it a great honour to meet the mother of Emrys."

Merlin grins. "Well then I will be back soon."

With that Merlin races off through the trees, until he finds a large clearing. He stops and roars into the sky. Then he waits. Suddenly something lands on Merlin shoulder causing him to jump and yelp in surprise. Her turns his head sideways only to come face to face with Aithusa. A huge grins spreads across his face.

"Aithusa!" He greets.

The white dragon rubs his head against the side of Merlin's face in greeting. The sound of beating wings fills the air as Kilgharrah comes into land.

"Young warlock." He greets, with a bow of his head. "I see the perilous lands have been restored."

Merlin's smiles while he pets Aithusa. He holds up his white staff. "It was all thanks to this really, with out it I would not have had the power."

Kilgharrah nodes. "The staff of Emrys, it is a truly powerful weapon…. So why is it you have called me here, young warlock?"

"I need you to give me a lift, I have to pick up my mother, it is three days travel from here."

"I am not a horse, young warlock!"

"I know, but it is not often I ask you to do this Kilgharrah, please."

"Fine, young warlock, clime up. It would be an honour to meet your mother, the women Balinor fell in love with."

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Kilgharrah lands in a large clearing not far from Merlin's village. Merlin quickly jumps down and rushes through the trees towards his village. He stops in the treeline and smiles. It was just how he remembered it. Quickly he makes his way through the village. People do a double take as they see him, it's only then Merlin remembers he has his staff and Aithusa with him. Quickly Merlin makes his way up to the door of his old home and knocks on the door. After a couple of minutes the door opens, Hunith looks up at Merlin in surprise. She quickly pulls him into a bone crushing bear hug, causing Aithusa to squeak in surprise.

"My son." She whispers.

Merlin smiles as he pulls away. "Hello, mother."

Hunith looks at the white dragon sitting on Merlin's shoulders.

"Oh, this is Aithusa. Remember I wrote you that letter about finding the last dragon egg, well this is the dragon that hatched."

Hunith smiles. "Quite a beautiful young dragon, I see."

Merlin smiles. "Aithusa may be beautiful, but the trouble caused by this pesky reptile….."

Hunith laughs, as Aithusa jumps on to her shoulders. "You father would be proud."

Merlin smiles slightly. "I know. Mother there is a reason I have come here."

Hunith looks at her son. "You restored the perilous lands. Some passing druids told me. I have already packed. I got a letter from Gaius's love, Alice, she wish's to take me on as her assistant physician."

Merlin grins. "I didn't know you knew Alice."

"How could I not, Gaius is my brother."

Merlin sighs. "I know. It's just Gaius never said you knew each other."

Hunith sighs. "Well let's get going."

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Kilgharrah bows his head as Merlin and Hunith appear in the clearing.

"Kilgharrah." Hunith greets. "Balinor told me a lot about you."

"Merlin speaks highly of you." Kilgharrah replies. "It truly is an honour to meet you."

Hunith smiles. "The druids said something like that too."

Merlin smiles. "Well I think it should be an honour for anyone to meet you. After all I could not ask for a better mother."

Hunith smiles and hugs her son. "And I couldn't ask for a better son."

Kilgharrah lands in the clearing before the tower. Merlin jumps down and uses magic to help his mother down. Kilgharrah bows and flies off. Aithusa still in the arms of Hunith watches him fly away.

Merlin grins. "One day you'll be that big, Aithusa."

Hunith laughs. "But that won't be for many years yet."

Aithusa leaps from Hunith's arms onto Merlin's shoulders.

Merlin rolls his eyes. "Damn reptile."

Hunith smiles. "It just shows how strong the bond is, between dragon and dragon lord."

Merlin smiles. "I wish you had seen Aithusa hatch, it was the most amazing sight."

"You must be Emrys's mother." Alator greets Hunith with a bow.

Hunith nodes. "I am."

"Mother this is, Alator of the Catha. Alator this is my mother, Hunith." Merlin quickly introduces them.

Alator smiles. "It is an honour to meet you, Hunith."

Hunith smiles. "The honour is mine, Alator. Merlin has spoken highly of you, you have helped him a lot I have been told."

Alator nodes. "I sent Merlin some spell books, so he could study the way of the Catha."

"Which, I must thank you for, Alator." Merlin cuts in. "They have been a great help to me."

Hunith nodes. "I must ask, but is there an way Merlin can study magic full time now, he's not in Camelot."

"Mother!" Merlin complains, the thought of doing more work did not please him.

Alator nodes. "The druids have said they wish to teach Merlin the old ways. He is after all the high priest of the old religion."

Merlin sighs. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be doing more work than I ever did in Camelot."

**Hey, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. I'm planning on only writing up some of the episodes not all of them. So from series one they'll be the poisoned chalice, Lancelot, the moment of truth and the le morte d'Arthur. **

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997**


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter five: Valiant and The mark of Nimueh.

Arthur still didn't know what to think. Merlin was his best friend, he had been a loyal servant for years. Arthur trusted him with almost everything. Yet Merlin did not trust him in return. Yes Arthur knew it was against the law to practice magic and if Merlin had told him he would have been sentenced to death. But it still hurt to know his best friend didn't trust him. Arthur sighed once more. He glanced around the cave. Gwaine was annoying Elyan, while Percival was trying to keep a straight face. Leon and Tristan were talking about god knows what. And Gwen and Isolde were chatting away like they had been friends for years. Gaius and Taliesin were currently talking about something to do with Merlin, Arthur only knew this because he had heard Gaius speak his name. Arthur suddenly found himself missing Merlin, much more than he would care to admit. Merlin was friends with everyone, but whenever he saw Arthur on his own he would join him, even if Arthur was in a foul mood. Arthur looks up as Taliesin speaks up.

"I'm afraid we will not be able to watch all Merlin's adventures, I do not have the power to command the crystals for that long. But I can tell you the stories, I myself and many others have been watching Emrys for a long time. So I know all of his deeds. I will only show you those of true importance and I will tell you the rest."

Gwaine grinned. "Story time!"

Percival looks at him. "Have you been drinking again?"

"Maybe."

Leon shakes his head. "The one time I forget to check his water skin."

Elyan pats Leon's shoulder. "Knowing Gwaine, it wouldn't have made a difference."

Percival nodes. "For every one hiding place you know, there is about a hundred you don't."

"I wouldn't say a hundred." Gwaine mutters. "But Percival's right."

"Looks like we'll have to start full body searches before patrols." Leon sighs.

Taliesin coughs. "If you don't mind I would like to get started with the story."

Leon quickly nodes. "Of course."

Everyone quickly finds somewhere to sit.

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"**Our story starts with the knight Valiant," Taliesin begins. "Quickly making his way through a small indoor market. He is on his way to pick up a special shield, one made by magic. He finally comes to a stall, with a rather shifty looking owner. He asks for the shield and the man leads him behind the stall. The man promises he will win with this shield. A picture of three green snakes on a yellow back ground. The knight Valiant demands to see how the shield works. The seller is quick to show him, summoning three green snakes from the shield with no more than a couple of words. As the seller explains how the shield works, he hands the shield to the knight Valiant."**

"How does the shield work?" Elyan asks.

"When given an order the snakes would come out the shield," Gaius explains. "One bite from them is fatal."

"**After the knight Valiant was given the shield, he commanded them to kill the seller and they of course follow his orders. So that is how the knight Valiant came to be riding through the forest and up to the gates of Camelot. Once within the city walls, he quickly entered the tournament. **

"**Meanwhile in a field near the walls of Camelot prince Arthur and Merlin are training. Much to the discomfort of Merlin. Not long after that Merlin returns to the physicians quarters dropping armour as he goes. Gaius just laughed as he asked Merlin how his day was. Gaius forces Merlin to sit down, as he starts stretching out Merlin's arms. While Merlin just complains about all the work he still has to do. Using magic he moves a book across the table and it flips open causing Gaius to hit Merlin over the top of the head."**

Everyone looks at Gaius, who shrugs. "It was no hardship, compared to having your head chopped off. He had to learn to be more careful."

"**Merlin just complained if he could feel his arms he would have picked it up. Merlin and Gaius have a quick disagreement on him getting his head chopped off, before Merlin starts complaining about how it is unfair to be made Arthur manservant after saving his life. Gaius and Merlin then get into a debate about duties and how much pressure they're under. Arthur may have been the future king, but the fate of the whole kingdom rested on the shoulder of Merlin.**

"**Merlin quickly made his way through the lower town, on his way to Gwen's house. So Merlin and Gwen spend a couple of hours together, as Gwen teaches him about amour. She was the blacksmiths daughter after all. And thanks to Gwen the following day Merlin was ten times better at putting on Arthur****s'**** armour. But Arthur still found something to complain about. After Arthur snaps at him, he forgets to hand Arthur his sword in his haste, giving Arthur yet another reason to yell at him. And so the tournament begins both Arthur and the knight Valiant win all their matches. As the knight Valiant speaks with Arthur, Merlin couldn't help but feel there was something off about him."**

"Why was that?" Arthur asked. "He hadn't used the snakes yet."

Gaius smiles. "He could sense the magic, even though he didn't have the shield with him. Merlin's magic also lets him sense what a person his like. You have all seen how Merlin sometimes dislikes people for no reason and they then turn out to be bad."

"**So Merlin spends the evening reading a book whilst using his magic to do get all his chores done. Suddenly Gaius throws the door to his room open. And Merlin's lets everything drop to the floor. Gaius is not too pleased that Merlin was using magic again. But Merlin doesn't get into much trouble."**

"Merlin used his magic to do his job?" Arthur asks, slightly shocked.

Gaius nodes. "If he didn't he would be up all night doing it. The amount of work you give him to do."

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"**So as all the knight line up in the great hall the knight Valiant and Morgana start to talk. As they flirt Arthur does not look impressed. The knight Valiant vows that he will win just so he can take the lady Morgana to the winners feast. So as Morgana and Arthur talk, Arthur successfully manages to insult Morgana, who tells Gwen she hope the knight Valiant will win, just to see Arthur lose. **

"**The following morning Merlin makes his way to pick up Arthur armour, as he does so he hears a hissing noise. Following the sound he comes to the knight Valiant shield, as he traces the patterns one of the snakes blinks. Merlin jumps back as knight Valiant presses his sword to Merlin's neck."**

"The knight Valiant threatened Merlin." Gwaine yells, in anger. "If I ever meet him, he'll be sorry."

Arthur smiles slightly. "Don't worry, I killed him."

"**Merlin quickly leaves after that. So Merlin sets out Arthur amour and quickly helps him into it, wishing him luck as he leaves. Gaius and Merlin stand watching as the fights begin. But soon a knight is injured whilst fighting the knight Valiant, who uses the shield to win. As Gaius rushes over to help, Merlin watches him go, as he comments to Arthur.**

"**later that night, Merlin rushes into Gaius chamber asking how the injured knight was. Gaius tells him that it was strange that, the knight had a snake bite on his neck. As Gaius tells Merlin without the venom from the snake, he can not make a cure. Merlin works out that he was fighting knight Valiant at the time. Merlin quickly hurries away, towards knight Valiant chambers, where he watches through the door as he feeds the snakes in the shield mice. After knight Valiant hears Merlin at the door, Merlin runs and is forced to hide behind a pillar, so he doesn't get caught. Returning to Gaius chambers Merlin explains what he had seen. Merlin decides he needs to tell Arthur, but Gaius tells him it is useless, without proof the word of a servant would never be taken over that of a knights."**

Arthur sighs. "That really needs to change, I have seen many people punished for telling the truth about someone who is a higher class than them."

Elyan nodes. "It was the same when I first become a knight, because I was not of noble blood, many of the other knights would not listen to a word I said."

Percival nodes. "It was like that for me too."

**The following morning Merlin helps Arthur with his amour as they both talk about the next knight Arthur is about to face. As Arthur fights Merlin watches knight Valiant, before Gaius appears behind him. They have a quick talk and Merlin pretty much says he not going to do anything about valiant, but Gaius does not believe him. Arthur and valiant both keep winning there fights, until they both end up in the final. Gaius stops beside Merlin as the guard carry the body of a dead knight away. Merlin knows the knight Valiant is going to kill Arthur in the final.**

"**Later that night, Merlin sits beside the first knight to be bitten by the snakes and doesn't even look up as Gaius enters. Gaius tells Merlin he is right and they have to find a way to stop the knight Valiant, they need proof. So the two of them decide they need to get the cure so the knight can tell Uthur what the knight Valiant did. So Merlin quickly sets out to get one of the snakes.**

"**After checking to see where the knight Valiant is Merlin quickly makes his way to the knight Valiant chambers and uses magic to unlock the door. Entering the room, he picks up and sword and points it at the shield. As he kneels down to see if there was a way to get the snakes to come out the shield. He jumps and sp****ins round as there is a noise from the corridor. Behind him one of the snakes rise out the shield and goose to strike Merlin. Spinning around Merlin cuts the snakes head off. Dropping the sword Merlin picks up the snakes head and quickly runs from the room, passing the knight Valiant as he does so."**

"What Merlin did was brave." Gaius mutters. "If he had been bitten by one of those snakes, he wouldn't be with us today."

Taliesin shakes his head. "Merlin would be alive, there are something even Merlin has not told you, Gaius. Merlin knows the truth about his name, Emrys, I'm surprised you did not work it out."

"But his druid name means…. My poor boy." Gaius sighs.

"Gaius what is it?" Gwen asks, taking his hand.

"Merlin is doomed to a life time spent alone."

"What do you mean?"

Gaius just shakes his head.

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"**Not long after that Merlin sets out to tell Arthur. While Gaius sets about making the cure. As Merlin explains what he knows to be true, Arthur thinks he's making it up, finally Arthur makes him swear he's telling the truth after Merlin tells him he knows his word counts for nothing.**

"**The following day Uthur speaks with the knight Valiant and the king believes valiant word over Arthur. After the knight who could tell them was bitten by the snakes a second time after the knight Valiant ordered it. After Merlin steps in to tell the king he seen the snakes come alive, valiant orders them to stop. Before Merlin follows Arthur from the hall he glares at valiant."**

"He should be careful." Gwaine mutters. "Everyone, I've seen Merlin glare at have ended up dead."

"Are you saying Merlin kills everyone he glares at?" Percival asks, still finding it hard to believe Merlin had killed anyone. Even though they had seen him kill Mary Collins.

"No, I'm just saying they end up dead. I mean, think about it, the only people Merlin truly glare at are evil and they always end up dead."

"That's usually because Merlin kills them." Gaius mutters, thinking about all those Merlin had killed to keep Arthur and Camelot safe.

"**After being made to look a fool in front of his father and most of the court Arthur fires Merlin. After knowing Arthur will not pull out of the tournament Merlin heads down to the great dragons cave, to tell him he has failed. After the dragon talks to Merlin, he got a riddle as an answer much to his annoyance, he still believes there is nothing he can do."**

"You fired Merlin!" Tristan gasps. "Even though he risked ever thing to warn you of the truth."

Arthur bows his head slightly. "I was angry. I needed someone to blame, Merlin was there. He was the one who told me about it after all."

Tristan just shakes his head. "From what I have seen of Merlin he only speaks the truth about people. You would do well to trust him. I guess you are just lucky Merlin didn't truly give up on you."

"How did you work that out?"

"If he had given up on you, you wouldn't be alive today."

"**Knowing that Arthur was truly going to die. Merlin sits down on the castle steps, knowing there is nothing he can do. Gwen appears beside him and they talk. Finally Gwen manages to get Merlin to believe it is his job to save Arthur to prove that he was right all along. Suddenly Merlin gets an idea, when he see a statue of a dog holding a shield, at the edge of the steps."**

"I always wondered what he needed that dog for," Gwen mutters. "But I didn't ask at the time. Merlin seemed to know what he was doing, so I just went along with it."

"**Gaius was more than surprised when Merlin bought in a statue of a dog. He asks Merlin want he's doing and Merlin half explains his plan, leaving Gaius even more confused. Once Merlin has got the statue into his room, he pulls his spell book out from under the loose floor bored under his bed. He starts casting a spell."**

"So that why we never find anything when we search Merlin's room." Leon mutters.

"Why did you need to search his room?" Isolde asks.

"Merlin has been accused of sorcery about six times." Leon answers. "So we have to search his room to find evidence."

Elyan smiles. "There is so much we don't know about him. He quite clearly isn't the idiot we believe him to be."

"**Morgana has a dream about Arthur dying in the fight and wakes yelling his name. She walks over to her window to find Arthur training in the yard below. After repeating the spell countless more times Merlin gives up. Before leaving to ask Arthur to withdraw from the final. But Arthur does not. The following morning Merlin is still sitting up casting the spell and is still failing, he had been up all night trying to cast it.**

"**Elsewhere in the castle Morgana is helping Arthur with his amour, she tells him to be careful. Outside the knight Valiant is sharpening his sword. Merlin keeps muttering the spell, half asleep, so doesn't notice as the stone dog turns into a living one."**

"He turned that stone statue of a dog into a real living dog!" Gwen gasps.

Gaius nodes. "Merlin's power is truly something amazing."

"**Merlin mutters the spell again and the dog barks. Merlin jumps to his feet with a slight smile, before the dog runs at him and he bolts from the room. He passes Gaius who has come to tell him the tournament is about to start. So Merlin tells him not to go into his room, but fails to say why. So Gaius goes and has a look and is quiet surprised to find a dog. Merlin races through the castle, towards the field. He stops by the wall and watches for a moment, once it's safe he quickly cast the spell and the snakes burst from the shield. Everyone quickly stands, seeing that it is true that the knight Valiant was cheating. Arthur wins the fight and kills valiant, after Morgana grabs a sword and throws it to Arthur."**

Gwaine grins. "Saved by a girl, princess?"

"She did not save me!"

"Yes she did." Gwen answers. "Well so did Merlin, if it wasn't for Merlin, Morgana would never have been able to save you."

Arthur nodes. "Fine, it's Merlin's fault."

"**Gaius and Merlin stand watching as Arthur and Morgana enter the hall for the feast. Merlin quickly tells Gaius what he said earlier was true, so Gaius just tells him he owes it all to him. Arthur and Morgana quickly have a disagreement. Morgana walks over to Gwen and starts complaining about Arthur. While Arthur walks over to Merlin and starts complaining**** about Morgana. After a moment Arthur finally rehires Merlin, after saying he didn't need saving."**

Everyone looks at Arthur.

"Okay, okay," he sighs. "I do need 'saving' some of the time."

"More like all of the time." Gwaine snorts.

"What was that, Gwaine?" Arthur asks with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Nothing, princess."

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Taliesin smiles slightly at the group. It was clear they all missed Merlin, but they were not ready to see him yet. They had to learn everything, they had to understand everything, they had to see and understand the reasons for everything Merlin had done. They had to truly trust each other. Clearing his throat, Taliesin, gets everyone's attention. "It is time for the next story, so please take a seat,

"**Our story starts deep in some caves many miles from Camelot," Taliesin begins. "The witch Nimueh stands over a basin of water creating a creature of water and clay, an Afanc. Once she has completed it, she places it in an egg and sends it through the water, to Camelot. Where the egg hatches in the water supply.**

"**Gaius kneels down beside a body, while Merlin stands not far behind, worried that he might catch whatever the person had died of. After Gaius tells him there is nothing to worry about, he turns the body over. The skin is ghostly white, with blue veins visible through the flesh and their eyes were a milky white colour, no sign of the pupil. Gaius and Merlin share a look, knowing if people saw this, it would cause them to panic. Merlin grabs a nearby blanket and helps Gaius cover the body.**

"**Gwen who had just prepared her father, Tom, his lunch for the day. Gwen and her father quickly share a couple of laughs and Tom heads out to work, whilst Gwen arranges some flowers. Gwen makes her way up to the castle where she catches up with Gaius and Merlin pulling a cart with some bodies on it between them. Merlin quickly changes the subject when she asks what they are doing. By asking about the flowers Gwen was carrying, in return Gwen gives Merlin a flower, a purple one. So Merlin and Gwen part ways. Morgana notices how happy Gwen looked, as she gave her the flowers.**

"What was the laugh?" Elyan asked, he and his father had never really seen eye to eye.

"I believe it was 'More smoke than pigeon' and 'More water than cress'." Gwen answers.

Elyan smiles. "Sounds like you and father."

Gwen smiles sadly. "I miss him."

"So do I." Elyan mutters, pulling his sister into a hug.

"**So Gaius and Merlin start to examine the body. Gaius and Merlin quickly conclude that this was caused by magic. But before they can speak further, Arthur yells Merlin's name from outside. Merlin quickly answers the door and they quickly exchange some words, before Arthur gives Merlin an odd look. Merlin quickly explains the flower was from Gwen. Returning to Gaius, they have a quick disagreement on Merlin being a servant, a dead servant and a dogsbody."**

"What was that about?" Tristan asks.

Gaius smiles. "Merlin."

"**Gaius and Merlin quickly make their way to the main hall, where a servant lies dead. Uthur quickly asks Gaius why he didn't tell him when they found the first body. After a quick discussion on it, Uthur tells Arthur, to find he is responsible for the enchantment and Merlin will be helping Gaius until the cure is found, much to the annoyances of Arthur.**

"**As Arthur and the guards start**** door to door searches. Merlin and Gaius quickly make their way through the lower town. They find someone who is still alive, Merlin knows he can save them with magic. Gaius quickly drags Merlin away before he can do anything to help the person. The risks were too high, if Merlin got caught he would be killed."**

Gaius sighs. "It has always been hard for Merlin. He could have saved all those people, he knew he could, which made it worse. But I could not let him be killed. Every death Merlin could have prevented causes him guilt, even if it was not his fault to start with. He still wakes up screaming some nights, the voice of the dead haunt his sleep. Even those who died because of Uthur, before he was born."

Isolde looks at Gaius. "I can not begins to imagine what that must feel like. But why do the dead haunt him in such a way."

"Because Merlin does not have magic, he is magic. He is pure magic in a human form. He is not truly human, he is a creature of the old religion. Magic flows through is veins like blood. All those who have magic, part of there soul is bounded with it. Their deaths are remembered by magic, so therefor it haunts him."

"Merlin isn't human!" Arthur asks, shocked.

Gaius shakes his head slightly. "He is magic in human form."

Everyone looks shocked.

"That's why you said 'he doomed to spend a life time alone'." Gwen mutters.

Gaius nodes. "That is not the only reason, but yes, I meant that too."

"What is the other reason?" Arthur asks.

Gaius just shakes his head.

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"**Gaius and Merlin return to their chambers to keep looking for a cure. Merlin still couldn't believe magic could be used for such evil. Suddenly Arthur and some guards burst into the room and begin looking around. As Arthur goes up to Merlin's room, Merlin remembers he hadn't hidden his magic book****. So as Arthur calls Merlin up to his room, Gaius and Merlin both fear the worst. Luckily Arthur hadn't spotted the book, so Merlin quickly used magic to hide it."**

Everyone laughs, apart from Arthur.

"What's so funny?" he demands.

"It's just, sire," Leon laughs. "He used magic to hide a magic book while you were in the same room as him. And you didn't even notice."

"**After finding nothing Arthur and the guards leave. After they have gone, Gaius quickly shuts the door and turns to Merlin. They have a quick disagreement on the use of magic. Back in her cave, Nimueh watches as the Afanc does it work, smiling all the while. The castle court yard is now filled with bodies, Uthur is not please that Arthur failed to find the sorcerer. He order the lower town to be cut off and no one is aloud out after the dusk**** bell.**

"**Back in Gaius chambers Merlin and Gaius are checking the next body. After a couple of questions from Gaius Merlin works out the answer, one Gaius already knew. The illness is spread through water. Handing Merlin a bucket Merlin goes down to the well to get some water.**

"**Gwen who was leaving for work, tries to wake her dad. When he does not resound, Gwen**** goes over. Only to find he has the illness, in a panic Gwen runs from her house, crying as she goes. She runs past Merlin who is at the well, he calls after her but she doesn't stop, so grabbing the bucket he runs after her. She bursts into Gaius chamber and begs him to help, but there is nothing he can do. Merlin comes in not long after, just before Gwen runs out. He knows he has to do something, even if it means using magic."**

Gwen smiles. "He is a true friend."

"**later that night, Merlin slips out the castle and down to Gwen's home. After finding a cure in his spell book. Sneaking past the guards was no trouble for Merlin. Also getting into Gwen's house wasn't a problem either. As quietly as he could Merlin cast the spell to cure Gwen's father. No sooner was the spell compete Gwen's father was cured. Merlin smiles as Gwen and her father hug."**

"See I told Merlin cured our father." Gwen smiles. "Merlin truly is my best friend."

Elyan smiles. "We will have to thank him, next time we see him."

"**The following day Nimeuh smiles as she sees even more bodies in the court yard of Camelot castle. Gaius tells Uthur and Arthur of his findings, how the illness is spreading through the water. Uthur demands that the sorcerer is found. Merlin finds Gwen cleaning, humming to herself. He quickly asks how her father is, and she tells him he is all better. Merlin smiles and turns to leave when Gwen notices Merlin didn't seem surprised. Merlin quickly jokes that he is psychic, but then tells her it's because she's happy again.**

"**Arthur and the guards appear at Toms' blacksmith and start asking about him being sick. Arthur and the guards check Gwen's house and find the prop Merlin used in his spell. Still glowing gold. Arthur and the guards arrest Gwen, while Morgana yells she has done nothing wrong. Merlin watches as Gwen is dragged off, Gaius quickly drags Merlin away, they needed a plan to prove Gwen had done nothing wrong. **

"**The king then question Gwen, but doesn't believe her to be telling the truth so she is sentenced to death. Morgana and Uthur spend some time arguing before Morgana storms off. Gaius and Merlin sat at a table talking, they needed to a way to prove Gwen to be innocent. Merlin then makes his way down to the dungeons and speaks with Gwen, where he promises Gwen he'll find a way to save her. Merlin quickly makes his way through the castle and confesses to Uthur that he is the sorcerer, but is saved by Arthur."**

"Merlin has a death wish." Percival mutters. "He must seriously have a death wish."

Gwaine laughs. "He just told everyone the truth and yet no one believed him."

Gwen smiles. "He was willing to take my place in the flames. I do not know many who would do that for a friend."

Gaius smiles. "You may not know it yet Gwen but both times you were accused of witch craft Merlin has taken your place, the second time he escaped the flames by a couple of meters."

"What?" Arthur yells. "How could I not know this?"

Gwen thinks for a moment. "It was Merlin! You mean to say that was him?"

Gaius nodes, knowing she was thinking about Dragoon the great.

"But he killed…"

Gaius shakes his head. "Morgana killed him, Gwen, with Agravaine's help."

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"**After Gaius yells at Merlin for being so stupid, the two of them set out to find what's in the water. The two of them quickly make their way down into the underground lake where all the water comes from and start looking around. Unknown to them Nimeuh is watching them. As they make their way through the tunnels, they finally come to the water. As Merlin takes a sample, something moves below the water. As they turn to leave the Afanc rears out the water. Gaius and Merlin quickly hurry back to the castle and set about looking for the creature they had just seen. Finally they find it, but have no idea how to defeat it****. Knowing Gwen will die if he does nothing he goes to see her before he heads down to talk with the great dragon."**

"Does Merlin always talk with the dragon?" Tristan asks. "So far he has ever time."

"Merlin and the dragon are kin," Gaius replies. "They are drawn to each other."

"**The great dragon gives Merlin his answer in the form of another riddle, leaving Merlin to work it out. Arthur goes to see his father, who moves the execution forward. Gaius returns to find Merlin going through books. After Merlin tells him what he looking for, Gaius gives him the answers. The Afanc was made from earth and water, so there for it could only be destroyed by fire and air. Morgana suddenly appears telling them that they are moving forward the execution, demanding that they help her. Merlin quickly explains what's going on and how they will need Arthur help. **

"**So Morgana and Merlin set out to get Arthur help. Morgana pretty much blackmails Arthur into helping while Merlin waits for them in the court yard. So Arthur, Merlin and Morgana make there way down to the underground lake, where they are faced by the creature. As Arthur waves the torch at the creature Merlin summons a wind, destroying the creature in a storm of fire and wind. Unknown to Merlin Nimeuh was watching, so she swears to kill him for what he and done."**

Gaius sighs. "And she did."

"What do you mean?" Gwaine exclaimed. "Merlin is alive."

Gwen shakes her head. "The poison when Arthur went to get the cure, Merlin died, but only for a couple of minutes, before he came back to life."

"Merlin and Nimeuh also battled to the death on the isles of the blessed. Merlin also died then, but only for a couple of seconds, but you'll see all that later."

"**Gaius quickly spoke**** with the king, telling him, the egg bared the mark of Nimeuh. Uthur was shocked, Nimeuh and himself went back a long way and not all that history was good. So it ends with Gwen being released. And Gaius warning Merlin that he may have to watch his back, if the sorcerer responsible knew what he had done."**

"So not only does Merlin have to save Arthur he has to save himself with magic, while keeping it all a secret so he doesn't lose his head." Elyan mutters.

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin does not save himself. He has died, been hurt and nearly discovered more times than you can dream of. Some he has not even told me about, I only know because I have seen the scars that cover his body. Merlin is truly alone, he has no one to watch his back. No one has the power to, those Merlin fight, like Nimeuh, are high priestess of the old religion. Merlin is the only person alive more powerful than them, he alone has the power to destroy them. That's how Merlin has lost so many he loves, because they save him at the cost of their own lives. You think you know Merlin, but you do not. Merlin lets no one get close to him anymore, because he knows they will all die in the end."

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Hey, I thinking about writing up all the episodes like this. So I can write about every adventure. Let me know what you think.

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter 6: Of old friends and new.

Merlin sat down, with a sigh and lies down on the grass of the training field. All day since he had bought his mother here, he had been studying, Alator had managed to get him lesson with almost everyone! Which wasn't too bad, Merlin loved learning about magic and the history of magic. No the bad part was, Alator had decided Merlin needed to learn how to defend himself without the aid of magic. And he thought Arthur sword training was bad! With the aid of healing magic, you could train and get injured, if you weren't quick enough to defend yourself. So lets just say Merlin had been forced to train with someone who had a knights skill with a sword. It didn't end well and he has a couple more scars to add to his collection. Despite what most people believed Merlin was okay with a sword, not the worst, but not the best either. But his skill was no where near that of a knights. A shadow falls over him, squinting Merlin tries to see who it is standing above him.

"Hello, Merlin." A voice greets him.

"Gilli?" Merlin asks, sitting up.

Gillis grins and drops on to the ground beside Merlin. "Yeah, it's me. Its taken me all day to find you. First your off on a dragon, then all over the place. Finding out who you have lessons with and finally sword training. You got well and truly beaten."

Merlin groans. "I know. Why did they have to give me a knight to train with?"

"I don't think I would have done much better without the aid of magic," Gilli answers. "But you did mange to hold your own for a couple of minutes."

"Yeah, but then I got about ten cuts in under a minute. In battle I would have been six feet under by now."

"Good thing it wasn't a battle then!"

Merlin laughs. "Yeah good thing it wasn't."

"EMRYS!" Alator's voice echo's across the field.

Merlin looks up to find Alator hurrying towards them.

"What is it?" Merlin asks.

"A village just inside the border of Camelot, is about to burn a witch at the stake. I need you to go and save them."

Merlin looks at Alator. "You want me to go and rescue some one from the flames? How can I do that without magic?"

"Who said you couldn't use magic?"

"The use of magic is still against the law in Camelot." Merlin answers. "We'll cause the knights to hunt us down. They must never find this place."

"Emrys, you have broken that law since the day you were born, as for them hunting us down. They will never be able to enter this place, we have wards all around the borders to stop them."

"Okay," Merlin gets to his feet. "Where is this village?"

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Gilli and Merlin wall towards the village, Merlin's spell hadn't been powerful enough to get them all the way to the village, so they had a bit of walking to do. The village was on the opposite side of Camelot to the perilous lands, so his spell had allowed them to travel a great distance. Merlin suddenly sees smoke rising, to much smoke for a normal fire.

"Come on!" Merlin yells.

Running, the two of them storm into the village. Merlin raises his hand and yells a spell the flames go out and the smoke clears. Villagers run screaming, but Merlin doesn't even notice as he climes up to the witch. He stops suddenly, realising he knows who it is.

"Alice?" He asks.

She looks up weakly. "Merlin?"

Merlin draws his dagger and cuts the ropes tying her to the post. As she falls forward Gilli catches her, almost falling over whilst doing so. Merlin quickly jumps down and takes one of Alice's arms over his shoulders, while Gill takes the other. Around them the villagers had returned, with weapons, nothing to bad mostly pitchforks, axes and scythe's.

"I'm going to have to do the spell here." Merlin warns Gilli. "We'll only make it to the bridge."

Gill nodes. "Hurry up, I really don't want to be impaled by a pitchfork."

Merlin mutters the spell and the three of them vanish in a whirlwind.

"We must get word to the king." Merlin hears one of the villagers yell as they disappear.

That would go down well. The villager would only have to describe him and Arthur would know it was him, if they weren't hunting him down before they would most likely be trying to find him after this. As the wind clears around them, they find themselves standing in front of the bridge to the perilous lands. Grettir greets them.

"Magic, I see you have returned."

Merlin rolls his eyes. "Yes I have. I need to get Alice here, to the druids right now. Where are they?"

"They are at the tower, magic." Gerttir replies. "I will take you there."

Merlin feels the magic around them and suddenly they find themselves in front of the tower.

"Thank you, Grettir." Merlin smiles.

"You are welcome, magic." He answers as he vanishes from sight.

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The druids set about treating Alice straight away. The burns she had were minor, but she had breathed in a lot of smoke. Merlin sat beside his mother as the druids worked.

"Gaius needs to be here." Hunith smiles sadly. "Alice needs him and he needs Alice."

Merlin nodes. "Then I will just have to get him."

"Merlin you cannot, Gaius is in Camelot, it is too dangerous."

Merlin shakes his head. "Alator was right, I have broken the law since the day I was born. I have practiced magic in Camelot from the moment I stepped foot in the city, only difference this time is everyone will know I'm doing it."

Merlin quickly gets to his feet grabs a cloak the druids had given to him and rushes out the door. Merlin pulls his midnight blue cloak over his shoulder and muttered a spell under his breath, with a flash of his eyes, he finds himself standing in the court yard of the Camelot castle. Merlin smiles and pulls the hood of his cloak low over his face and quickly makes his way towards Gaius's chambers. None of the guards pay him any attention as he passes. Now that he was here he could pick up his spell books, Sidhe staff and caved dragon his father had given to him shortly before he died.

He enters Gaius's chambers to find them empty, Merlin looks around and notices a note on the table. He picks it up and reads, he then puts it down and sighs. Gaius had gone to see the druids in the valley of the fallen kings, that Merlin knew thanks to the note. Sighing once more he destroys the note and rewrites it, explaining how Gaius had gone to find herbs in the valley of the fallen kings. If anyone was to know Gaius was speaking to the druids, he could get in a lot of trouble. Quickly Merlin makes his way up to his room and packs his things. Before heading out the castle. He cast a second spell and with a flash of his eyes finds himself in the valley of the fallen kings.

Merlin sighs, there was no one here, he couldn't hear the druids. Merlin glances round and spots the path to the crystal caves, he shakes his head slightly and quickly makes his way along the path. He could use the crystals to scry for Gaius. As he enters the crystal cave, he is hit by the power, causing him to take a step back. Shaking his head, he quickly walks down the couple of steps to the main cave. On the far side of the cave Merlin could sense some kind of shield, but he didn't have time to worry about it, he needed to find Gaius.

"Taliesin?" Merlin calls.

**Hey, hope you liked it. Next up is the poisoned chalice and Lancelot. Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter seven: The poisoned chalice and Lancelot.

"**Our story starts once again in the caves far from Camelot. Where Nimueh drips some of her blood into the stone basin, she then starts to cast a spell using a petal from a flower. She then places the petal into a chalice and holds it up as if toasting and curses Merlin's name."**

Everyone looks at each other. Arthur, Gwen and Gaius all know what's going to happen. And everyone else can guess correctly, she was going after Merlin.

"**Meanwhile in Camelot, king Bayard and his knights are arriving. Where he is greeted by Uthur and they begin to talk about peace. Nimueh is with them dressed as a servant, her gaze fixed on Merlin.**

"**Merlin who is carrying a couple of sacks through the halls, stops to talk for Gaius for a moment. Behind them Nimueh approaches as she passes Gaius she trips and Merlin kneels down to help her. After the two of them talk, Nimueh sneaks into king Bayard's room, using magic and changes the goblet for the one she placed**** the petal in.**

"I**n Arthur quarters Merlin is sorting out Arthur cloths. As Merlin asks about the feast, Arthur tells him he will be there as well, as a servant of course. Arthur gives Merlin some really horrible cloths to wear. Later at the feast Merlin and Gwen try not to laugh about what Merlin is wearing. As Merlin and Gwen talk, Uthur and Bayard, sign the peace treaty. As Bayard starts his speech on peace, the goblets are bought in and Nimueh smiles. She quickly pulls Merlin from the hall and tells him, the princes goblet is poisoned. Merlin rushes back into the hall and tells Uthur. Who forces him to drink the wine, at first nothing happens, but then Merlin falls to the ground."**

"Why does no one ever believe Merlin?" Percival asks. "So far ever time he's warned you about something it's turned out to be true."

Gwaine nodes. "Uthur was a bit evil, don't you think? What a way to repay someone for saving your sons life, what was it now, three times."

Gwen smiles sadly. "I remember it happening. I was so scared, I thought Merlin was going to die."

Arthur nodes. "So did I."

"**Arthur quickly grabs Merlin, while Gwen gets the chalice as Gaius leads the way back to his chambers. Leaving Uthur to sort out Bayard. As Arthur sets Merlin down on the bed Gwen gets some water. While Gaius examines the chalice, he finds the petal stuck in the top of the of it. After Gaius identifies the plant, they find a cure. Which can only be found deep in the caves, in the middle of the forest of Balor. The forest is guarded by a creature called a Cockatrice, one drop of poison from the creature will mean certain death. Knowing this Arthur still plans to go in search of the cure. That night Nimueh leaves the castle, a wicked smile on her face."**

Elyan smiles. "It was about time you returned the favour, Arthur. Merlin has saved your life three times, even if the poison was meant for him."

Arthur nodes. "I guess I'm lucky to have a friend like Merlin."

Everyone smiles.

"**Gwen quickly makes her way into Morgana's chamber. Morgana tells Gwen to stay with Merlin, knowing the two of them were close friends. Meanwhile Arthur and his father as having a disagreement on going to find the cure for Merlin. The king forbids Arthur to leave. Arthur goes back to his chamber where Morgana talks Arthur into going anyway... Even if it was against the kings orders. So Arthur sets out to save Merlin,"**

"See that is why the people love you, sire." Leon smiles. "Because you would risk your life to save that of your friends."

Arthur shakes his head. "Merlin is my servant."

"Yet the people know he is much more than that." Percival answers. "I am sure everyone in Camelot is friends with Merlin. And they all know you value Merlin as a friend more than any knight or lord."

"**While Nimueh watches from her stone basin. Back in Gaius chambers Merlin is getting worse, his pulse had gotten weaker and he had started muttering in the language of the old religion. Gaius notices a rash on Merlin's arm and starts to panic, it was not supposed to appear until the final stage of the poisons cycle. Meaning Merlin only had two more days to live! Gaius works out that the poison works faster if an enchantment is used, causing him to work out Nimueh was the one who poisoned Merlin.**

"**Uthur and Morgana have an argument on how Arthur should behave and how he shouldn't risk his life for a servant. Elsewhere Arthur is drawing closer to the forest, while Nimueh watches from her stone basin once more****. Back in Gaius chambers, Gwen and Gaius know Arthur is walking into a trap. As Arthur enters the forest he fails to notice the Cockatrice that is watching him from the shadows. He makes his way through the wood, until he comes to a clearing where Nimueh is waiting, crying. She lies to Arthur and tells him she was beaten by her master and fled into the woods. At that moment the Cockatrice that had followed Arthur appears. Nimueh watches as Arthur fights it and wins. **

"**Nimueh offers to show Arthur the way to the flowers. Leading him into the cave, Nimueh smiles to herself. Back in Gaius chamber, Merlin start muttering 'it's a trap'. Gaius hears Merlin starting to mutter a spell, so sends Gwen down to the well to get some more water. Back in the cave Arthur and Nimueh arrive at the flowers, the only thing that will cure Merlin. Once Arthur has crossed the small rock bridge to the flowers, she destroys his path back and leaves him to be killed by the giant spiders making their way towards him, from far below. Back in Camelot, Merlin casts a spell, creating a ball of blue and white light, while all Gaius can do is watch. Back in the cave the blue and white light appears beside Arthur and leads him from the cave after he grabs the cure."**

"So even when Merlin is dying, he still saves your life princess." Gwaine smirks.

Everyone seemed slightly shocked at this. Even when Merlin was dying, he still risked everything to save the lives of the people he cared about.

"So the light was Merlin." Arthur mutters, in awe.

"**Arthur quickly escapes the cave and makes his way back to Camelot. But before he can get the cure to Gaius he is arrested and thrown in the dungeons were he and the king have an argument. Arthur gives the plant to Uthur to give to Gaius, but Uthur just destroys the plant saying Arthur needed to learn his lesson. Back in Gaius chambers Merlin is getting worse, Gwen arrives to tell Gaius Arthur has got back and been put in the dungeons. So Gwen decides to sneak into the dungeons, going as the servant to bring the princes lunch she mangoes to get the plant. Returning to Gaius, she gives him the plant. After sending Gwen to get some water once more, he casts a spell on the cure he is about to give Merlin and gives it to him just as Gwen gets back."**

Everyone looks at Gaius.

"You're a sorcerer?" Arthur asks.

Gaius nodes. "But my power is nothing compared to Merlin's."

"How many more people are going to betray me?"

"**No sooner had Merlin drank the cure. He stopped breathing and his heart stopped."**

Everyone gasps. Isolde grips Tristan's hand. Whilst everyone else, apart from Gwaine, bow their heads.

"You do know Merlin is still alive?" he asks. "So therefore he must have come back to life."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

"**Gwen and Gaius hug. Only for Merlin to wake up and see them. He makes a couple of jokes and Gwen kisses him."**

"You kissed Merlin?" Arthur asks.

"Well…. I did." Gwen mutters, blushing. "He had just died and he is my best friend."

"**Gaius leaves soon after to speak with the king. He tells the king it was Nimueh who tried to poison Arthur, but Uthur doesn't believe him at first. But they release king Bayard. Arthur, Morgana and Uthur, watch as they leave Camelot. Arthur exclaims to Morgana how a light guided him out of the caves. Before he goes back to the castle, Uthur speaks to him about Nimueh. Arthur then goes to see Merlin, who thanks him for saving his life. Once Arthur is gone Gaius warns Merlin he was the one Nimueh was trying to kill and that she may try again."**

"So Merlin saved your life twice that time." Elyan mutters.

Leon nodes. "I don't know anyone who is quite that brave, to keep risking their life to save another, time and time again, braking the law that would get them killed at the same time."

Gaius nodes. "Lancelot once said Merlin was the bravest of us all."

"Lancelot knew?" Arthur asks.

Gaius nodes. "You'll find out how soon. Merlin never told him, he found out."

"Quickly everyone to that side of the cave, there is someone coming, you must hide." Taliesin calls.

Once everyone is in place he casts a spell to hide them. Not seconds later a hooded figure enter the cave carrying a pack over one shoulder and a small staff topped with a blue crystal in the other. They look round as if looking for someone.

"Taliesin?" They call, after a moment they pull there hood down.

Everyone gasps, it is Merlin.

"Hello? Taliesin? I need your help. It's really important!"

Taliesin appears behind Merlin. "I am here."

Merlin spins round. "I need your help."

"What with?"

"I need to find Gaius."

Everyone looks at Gaius.

"Why do you need to find him?"

"Alice, a close friend of his…. Was…. Well." Merlin turns so he's facing them, he takes a deep breath. "Alice was…. Let's just say, hurt, the druids are treating her as we speak. But Gaius needs to be there for her."

Taliesin nodes and Gaius suddenly appears beside him.

"Gaius!" Merlin exclaimed, hugging him.

Gaius smiles. "My boy."

"You need to come with me," Merlin explains. "Alice was burnt at the stake for witch craft, but me and a friend saved her, she is hurt... Only minor injuries."

Gaius grips Merlin's arm. "Take me to her, please."

Merlin nodes and mutters a spell his eyes flash gold and the two of them vanish in a whirlwind.

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Tristan watched Merlin and Gaius vanish. In the hall after Isolde had died before Merlin had traded a life for hers he had asked Gaius if he would do the same for Alice. So there for Alice must be Gaius's love, by the looks of it Merlin had been to Camelot. He had a pack and staff with him, he must have seen Gaius's note. He didn't actually know they were in the cave. Isolde notices Tristan expression.

"This is about Alice, isn't it?"

Tristan nodes. "Merlin again risked himself to save someone, only this time it was from the flames."

Isolde smiles. "It seems Merlin will risk everything to save those he cares about."

Before they can say anymore Taliesin steps forward. "It is time for the next story."

"Shouldn't we wait for Gaius?" Arthur asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "Gaius knows all Merlin adventures that I will tell you about and show you. He will miss nothing that he didn't already know."

Arthur nodes and everyone takes their seats.

"**Our story starts with the young warlock Merlin, picking mushroom in the forest. Behind him deeper in the forest there is a unearthly shriek, as Merlin gets to his feet, out of the trees bursts a griffin. Merlin turns and runs, but trips. As the griffin goes to strike him, out of the trees a man jumps, wielding a sword. He pushes the griffin back and quickly helps Merlin to his feet. The two of them run and hide behind a fallen tree. The man introduces himself as Lancelot. With Lancelot injured Merlin takes him back to Camelot, where Gaius treats his wound."**

"So that's how they meet, I always did wonder." Gwaine mutters.

"**Elsewhere in Camelot a town has been attacked by the griffin. It only killed people. Uthur and Arthur along with some knights go to see the damage. But no tracks, so what the people said about it having wings must be true. Back in Camelot Lancelot tells Merlin it is his dream to become a knight. Lancelot seemed surprised when Merlin said he knew Arthur. Out on the training field Arthur is testing some men to see if they are worthy of becoming knights. After he is finished Merlin speaks to him. And finds out you have to be a noble to become a knight. After Merlin tells Lancelot this, he comes up with a plan to help Lancelot. He thought it was unfair that only those of noble birth could become knights. Not much later Lancelot tells Merlin why he wanted to become a knight, a tale he did not normally share."**

"Did Lancelot tell any of you?" Elyan asks.

Everyone but Percival shake their head.

"Lancelot told me." Percival mutter. "But then mine and his tales' are almost the same. He didn't actually tell me, he just said the same thing had happened to him."

Gwen smiles slightly. "It seems everyone trusts Merlin, even if they have just meet."

Gwaine grins. "I told him my biggest secret not long after we meet. He hasn't told anyone it. He is my first and best friend, my loyalty will always lie with him... Above all others."

"You have a secret Gwaine. I find that hard to believe." Leon mutters.

Gwaine just smiles. "I'll never tell you. And neither will Merlin. So believe what you want to believe."

"**So the following day Merlin goes down to the library and uses magic to create a seal of nobility for Lancelot. At first Lancelot refuses to take the seal Merlin created for him, but in the end he accepts it. So Merlin takes Lancelot to Gwen, so they can make some amour for Lancelot. Merlin tries not to laugh as their small talk gets a bit awkward. After leaving Gwen, Merlin and Lancelot make their way back through the castle while Lancelot talks about Gwen.**

"**Out on the training field Arthur is training some of his men. While Gwen and Merlin dress Lancelot in his new armour. Merlin and Gwen gasp as Arthur test Lancelot's reactions, let's just say he could have come up with a better way to test them.**

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"**Back in Gaius's quarters Merlin is grinding down some herbs as he and Gaius talk. Gaius doesn't believe that Merlin sat by and did nothing so starts questioning him. At that moment Lancelot walks in, covered in dirt, Merlin quickly lies and tells Gaius he got work at the stables. Finally Gaius gets annoyed and forces Merlin to tell him the truth. Merlin tells Gaius he can punish him if he wants, but he believes what he is doing is right.**

"**The following day, Arthur walks through town and passes Lancelot who is sharpening swords. He throws a broom at him, Lancelot catches it. Where Arthur and Lancelot then fight with the brooms, after Arthur wins, he tells Lancelot he's made basic training. Suddenly the alarm bell goes and the sound of people screaming fills the air. Arthur quickly runs to see what is going on."**

"You fought with brooms?" Tristan asks.

Arthur nodes. "He was quite good. But not as good as me."

"Your still arrogant, you know?" Gwen mutters. "I believe Merlin will never be able to truly change you."

Everyone just smiles thinking about how Merlin changed Arthur for the better.

"**Merlin helps some of the injured people into the court yard. Where Gaius is treating as many people as he can. Not long after Lancelot comes running up to them. After Gaius tells him what's happened, he and Merlin share a look, both knowing it was the creature he had saved Merlin from. Back in the castle Uthur and Arthur watch from a window and work out the creature is heading for Camelot."**

"Is it just me or are all magical things and creatures drawn to Camelot?" Elyan asks.

"It is most likely they are," Taliesin answers. "Camelot was built using powerful magic. Plus it was also where the most powerful sorcerer ever lived."

"**Later that night Gaius sits up going through his books looking for the creature. The following morning Lancelot watches as Arthur briefs his men on the changes to their training patterns, to help prepare them to fight the creature. Arthur tells Lancelot that he is going to test him now, needless to say Lancelot wins. And is granted a knighthood."**

"How did he beat 'the all so great' princess?" Gwaine mocks.

"He played dead and caught Arthur by surprise." Gwen answers. "It really was an impressive move."

Arthur pulls a face and everyone laughs.

"**Lancelot is knighted. Later that day at the feast Merlin and Gaius stand talking, Merlin is told he played god and it may not end well. Gaius leaves and Gwen soon takes Gaius's place. The two of them talk and Merlin asks Gwen which one she likes better, Arthur or Lancelot, but she refuses to answer. The following morning Gaius, Lancelot and Merlin talk over breakfast. But suddenly guards burst into the room and drag Lancelot to the great hall. Where Lancelot admits it is fake. After he has been dragged off, Arthur and his father have a disagreement.**

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"**When it is over Merlin vists Lancelot in the dungeons. Where Lancelot tells him, it wasn't his fault and to stop blaming himself. After that Merlin returns to Gaius's chambers. Where Gaius is waiting for him. He shows Merlin what he has found. The creature was a creature of myth, a griffin. At that same moment Merlin tells him it is the right creature the alarm bells begin to sound, Merlin and Gaius quickly make there way over to the window. Only to find the creature attacking the city.**

"**Down in the court yard, people run screaming as the creature circles the yard. Arthur and the knight soon appear and try and battle the creature but there weapons are useless. Down in the dungeons Lancelot demands to know what is happening. When Arthur reports to his father, Merlin and Gaius step forward and tell him that the creature is a griffin and can only be killed with magic."**

"Oh let me guess," Gwaine mutters. "Merlin killed it."

Arthur shakes his head. "No Lancelot did."

"Want to beat on it, princess."

"Sure, five gold coins."

The two of them shake hands.

"**Merlin and Gaius return to their quarters. Where Gaius tell Merlin he is the only one who can kill the griffin. Knowing Arthur will die Merlin and Gaius set about trying to find a spell that will kill it, they have two hours to find the spell or Arthur will die.**

"**Down in the dungeons Arthur visits Lancelot. They talk about the creature and how magic alone can kill it. Arthur tells Lancelot to go and never return. Finally Merlin and Gaius find the spell that can kill the griffin, so Merlin sets about practicing it on a old knife. Lancelot arrives at Gwen's house to get amour and weapons saying it is his duty to protect Arthur. Gwen begs him not to go, but go he must. Arthur and the knights set out to defeat the griffin. Merlin keeps repeating the spell but it still doesn't work. Suddenly Gwen appears through the door and tells them Lancelot is ridding out to help Arthur. Merlin quickly runs from the room and down to where Lancelot is preparing to ride out. After a small disagreement Lancelot and Merlin ride out.**

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"**Outside the walls of Camelot Arthur and his knights prepare to fight the griffin but it is useless and all of them are knocked from their horses dead or out cold. Not far behind them Merlin and Lancelot hear the screams of the knights as the griffin attacks them. They soon come to the site of the battle, the knights bodies littered the ground. Merlin and Lancelot quickly rush over to Arthur, who is luckily still alive. Lancelot quickly prepares to charge the griffin on his horse as they hear it's shrieks through the trees. As Lancelot charges Merlin casts the spell on his lance, on his fourth time casting the spell, it works. The lance is covered in bright blue flames, the lance kills the griffin easily. And Merlin celebrates that his spell worked and the griffin is dead. **

"**As Arthur wakes, Merlin quickly runs back to the castle, leaving Lancelot to get full credit. Arthur congratulates Lancelot on killing the griffin. Back in Gaius's quarters, Merlin grins as Gaius offer his congratulations to the young warlock. Arthur tells the king that it was Lancelot who killed the griffin and that he should be allowed to be a knight once more. Outside Merlin and Lancelot talk, Lancelot tells Merlin he knows it was him who cast the spell which killed the griffin and promises to tell no one. So Lancelot tells the king he must leave. The following day Gwen watches Lancelot leave. Merlin and Gaius also watch him go. So that is how our story ends, until the next adventure of course."**

Gwaine laughs. "I told you Merlin killed it, you owe me five gold coins."

Arthur just glares at Gwaine for a moment. "Why did I ever knight you?" he mutters.

Everyone laughs while Gwaine just sniff slightly. "I miss Merlin, he always backs me up."


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter eight: Of deaths and falls.

Merlin stood near the window, watching Gaius hold Alice's hand as he sat beside her bed. She would live the druids were sure. Sighing Merlin leaves the room, he couldn't help but feel like this was his fault. If he had been quicker getting there, he could have stopped it before the fire was even lit. As Merlin makes his way outside he doesn't notice a shadow of a person following him. Merlin sighs once more and mutters a spell under his breath, he vanishes into thin air. Just as the shadow moved ready to strike, for this shadow belonged to one of the many assassins sent to kill Emrys. Merlin had after all made many enemies, Morgana being the main one. No sooner had the assassin moved one of the Catha, catches them.

"We must warn Alator." They yell to another, who was passing.

Merlin still caused trouble even when he wasn't around. And so the hunt for the assassins begins.

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Elsewhere Merlin appears many miles away in a small clearing, none the wiser to the trouble being caused on his behalf. He walks into the woods and sits down on the forest floor. He lies back on the ground and watches the sky through the trees. Out here nothing mattered, there were no people relying on him. No countless people to save, nothing. It was just Merlin and his magic, nothing else mattered. It was one of those few moments when Merlin could truly feel at peace. But of course this was Merlin, the world never seemed to allow him to find peace for more than a couple of seconds. A shadow of a person falls over him.

"Please help me," They beg. "It is my mother."

Merlin quickly gets to his feet and comes face to face with a boy a couple of years younger than him, with dark curly hair. "What's wrong with your mother?"

"We were attacked by bandits, whilst traveling to the perilous lands. She is a healer and has magic, we are going there to start a new life."

Merlin nodes. "Show me the way and I will see what I can do to help her."

The boy nodes and quickly leads the way through the trees, to a small path. Making their way along it Merlin glances round. He had been here before he was sure of it. Then in clicked, this was near where Arthur and queen Annis nearly went to war. Not far through the treeline ahead there should be a land cliff, were Merlin had watched Arthur fight the queens champion. Suddenly the boy walks off to the left and Merlin quickly follows. They finally reach the body of a women, Merlin knows she is dead before they even get close. The boy also seems to notice this and rushes forward and drops to his knees beside her body. Merlin stands back for a moment and watches, she had been dead too long to trade a life for hers. Merlin walks forward slowly and kneels beside the boy. Silently Merlin starts to gather fire wood so they can burn her body. As the flames dance around her, Merlin quickly walks towards the cliff knowing, the women's son needed some time alone. Merlin looked over the edge of the cliff, when he was suddenly pushed from behind. He falls with a scream of surprise.

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The boy watches the flames leap higher, before following Merlin. He was still in too much shock to truly come to terms with the fact his mother had just died, his mind still refused it to be true. He reaches the tree line and spies as someone sneaks up behind Merlin, a women with black hair and dressed in a black dress and belt. Her eyes glowed red, the boy watches as she pushes Merlin forward off of the cliff, unable to make a sound. The women smiles evilly before disappearing. Taking his chance the boy runs forward and looks over the edge of the cliff. Far below Merlin lies on the ground unmoving. The boy quickly climes down, as he kneels beside him, Merlin groans and forces himself up onto his elbows and rubs his head.

"What happened?"

"Some women dressed in black with red eyes pushed you off that cliff." The boy answers, nodding towards it.

"Morgana." Merlin mutters.

"You know her?"

Merlin nodes. "I'm afraid I do. We used to be friends."

The boy notices Merlin has multiple injuries, he shouldn't even be alive, after such a fall let alone awake and talking.

"We need to find a healer, you are hurt."

Merlin smiles slightly. "It is nothing too bad." He goes to move and cries out in pain.

"What is it?" the boy asked panicked.

"My ankle…. I think it is broken." Merlin gasps.

The boy looks at Merlin for a moment. "My mother was healer she taught me a lot, let me check you over for injuries."

"What is your name?" Merlin asks.

"Daegal." The boy answers.

"I'm Merlin." Merlin replies. "Daegal, I don't need to be checked over. I was a physician's apprentice in Camelot. I can tell you all the injures I have. At least two broken ribs, a broken ankle, a cut to the back of my head which could lead to concussion and a least a hundred bruises and minor cuts."

"Then let me treat you."

Merlin smiles slightly. "We need to get out of here first, this place is not safe."

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With the help of Daegal, Merlin makes it back into the forest where he quickly sits down with his back against a tree. Daegal hurries off to find some herbs leaving Merlin alone, Merlin rests his head back against the tree, ignoring the pain it causes him and shuts his eyes. Keeping his breathing slow and shallow Merlin tries to move his ribs as little as possible. His whole body was hurting and was starting to become stiff with the pain. His magic was the only thing that saved his life from that fall off the cliff. Although Merlin almost wished he had died, then he wouldn't be in all this pain if he had.

"Merlin you need to stay awake." Daegal voice calls.

"I am awake." Merlin groans.

"Open your eyes then."

Merlin slowly opens his eyes, Daegal is sitting not far from Merlin grinding down herbs between two stones.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asks, gripping his side in pain.

"I am creating a pain killer, You won't be able to move far with the level of pain you're in. I'm surprised you haven't passed out yet."

Merlin would have laughed if it wasn't for his ribs hurting so much. "I have suffered worse, my friend."

Daegal smiles slightly. "For some reason I don't find that hard to believe."

Merlin smiled. "So tell me, why is it you are helping me?"

Daegal shrugs. "You offered to help my mother even though we had just meet. You then helped me burn her body, even though you could have just left me to do it on my own."

"Well thank you." Merlin smiles weakly. "Gods know how long I would have stayed at the bottom of that cliff, if you hadn't helped me."

"I'm glad I could help." Daegal watches Merlin for a moment. "Your ankle, can you heal it?"

"What makes you think I can heal it?"

"You have magic," Daegal answers. "You must do. How else could you have survived that fall."

Merlin winces as he moves to place a hand over his ankle. "Healing magic isn't one of my strong points, but I'll see what I can do."

Daegal watches as Merlin cast a quick spell and his eyes flash gold. Merlin sits back.

"Did it work?" Daegal asks.

Merlin rests his head back. "Sort of…. It's gone from broken to twisted."

"Might make it more easy to walk now then. What about your ribs can you do anything for them."

Merlin shakes his head. "I do not have the strength."

Daegal nodes and hands Merlin the pain killer he had made. "Take it, then we need to keep moving. This wood isn't safe."

Merlin nodes taking the pain killer and forces himself to his feet, biting his lip to stop himself crying out in pain. With Daegal support the two of them slowly make their way through the woods.

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Alator stands looking out the window. Since the assassin had been found there had been no sightings of Merlin. No one had heard heads or tails of him for the last couple of hours. Gaius had last seen him leaving just before the first assassin was found. Alator refused to believe the assassins had got to Merlin first, so if Merlin had gone out he would have no way of knowing there were people after his head. Alator turns way from the window, Merlin could be anywhere, so sending people out to fond him wasn't an option. Plus if Merlin was dead, they would be unlikely to find him.

"Emrys cannot die." A voice from behind him sounds.

Alator turns to find a druid standing there. "I know, if Emrys dies all will be lost."

The druid shakes his head. "No, Emrys is immortal. He cannot die."

Alator looks at the druid for a moment. "So it's true, he really is immortal."

The druid nodes. "The only weapon that can kill the immortal was forged by Merlin and the great dragon. But Merlin is a dragon lord so cannot be killed by it. He has no way of dying, once his job is done in this realm, he will travel to Avalon, where he will join the other immortals and his lover, the lady of the lake."

Alator nodes. "But we still need to find him, it is not safe. Even with his great powers he can still be hurt. If he gets caught and those who find him work out he is immortal, they will just kill him over and over again or trap him somewhere he will never be able to escape from."

The druid nodes. "Then you must travel to the crystal caves and scry for him. Normal scrying will not work, his power blocks it. Only the crystals will be able to see him."

"Taliesin only lets Emrys enter the caves, not even you druids can enter." Alator answers. "Taliesin will not listen to me or anyone other than Merlin. We have to find him on our own."

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Daegal steps closer to Merlin as a Camelot patrol surround them. They draw their swords, when they notice neither Daegal or Merlin have weapons. Despite the pain Merlin stands up straight and meets the eyes of the patrols leader.

"What are you doing in these woods?" They ask.

"Me and my brother were returning home," Merlin explains. "We were attacked by a witch dressed in black. She killed our mother, she had men with her. When they thought they had killed me, my younger brother fled into the wood. They took everything we had, weapons, supplies and money."

Daegal looks slightly surprised that Merlin lied with such ease. But the patrol didn't believe him.

"You would dare to lie to us." The man yells. "I know you, you were the manservant to the king. But you betrayed him and joined Morgana and all those evil magic users."

"I HAVE BETRAYED NO ONE!" Merlin yells. "Least of all Arthur."

"You have magic and you will die for your crimes, you and your 'brother'."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Merlin mutters. His magic was unstable at the moment, he didn't have the strength to control it, so it would act on instinct and lash out.

The patrol laugh.

"There are two of you and ten of us." One of them laughs.

Merlin just shakes his head. "Be careful."

With a single yell all the patrol charge at Merlin and Daegal, without warning Merlin's eyes flash gold and every one of the patrol members are thrown back and fall to the ground, unmoving but not dead. Daegal jumps and looks round, in awe.

"I knew you had magic, but I had no idea you were that powerful."

Merlin sighs. "It's not something I'm proud of."

"Why? Magic is a gift."

Merlin shakes his head. "No, it is a curse."

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**Hey, thanks for the reviews. Up next is A remedy to cure all ills and The gates of Avalon.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeofLife1997.**


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter nine: A remedy to cure all ills and The gates of Avalon.

Gwen sat down beside Isolde, it was late afternoon and they had all sat down to eat, Taliesin had so kindly summoned for them, from the castle kitchens of course. Gwen couldn't help but wonder how Gaius was, he hadn't returned yet. And who was Alice? She was sure she had heard the name somewhere before. Tristan sits down beside Isolde, Gwen glances round trying to spot Arthur. Arthur and the knights were sitting on the ground, with their backs against the wall of the cave. Between Arthur and Gwaine was a gap where no doubt Merlin would have sat. Gwen sighs slightly and Isolde grips her arm. Taliesin suddenly appeared before them, a sad look on his face.

"Your friend, Merlin, has gone missing." He informs.

Everyone was on their feet in seconds.

"We must go and look for him, then." Gwaine exclaimed.

Taliesin shakes his head. "People are already looking for him…. mainly assassins."

"There are assassins after Merlin?" Percival asks, slightly shocked everyone he knew loved Merlin.

"Why?" Elyan asks. "I mean we don't know about his magic so how could anyone else?"

"Merlin has fought many people. He has made a lot of enemies over his years in Camelot. Not all who seek to kill him are human." Taliesin answers. "He has magic. Even if someone does try and kill him, he'll be able to defend himself."

Not everyone looks convinced, but slowly they sit back down.

"Right," Taliesin smiles slightly. "We have two more stories for today. Then we'll start again tomorrow. And I will inform you if your friend is found."

Everyone nodes, hoping that hearing the stories will take their minds off the fact Merlin had gone missing.

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"**Our story starts in an old room full of physicians equipment, a hooded figure uses magic to light some candles and begins sorting through bottles. Finally he picks up a box, runes covering the lid. He sets the box down and opens it, it is full of black beetles. He picks a beetle out and places it in a flower. Later that day Gwen carries the same flowers into Morgana's room, explaining they were a gift from someone. Later that night the hooded person stands in the court yard and mutters a spell. In Morgana's room the beetle awakens and climes out the flower and into her ear. The hooded figure then turns and leaves.**

"**A couple of days later Gaius examines Morgana while Uthur watches. But Gaius cannot work out what is causing Morgana's illness. At the entrance to the royal wing of the castle Gwen and Merlin wait for Gaius, after Gwen leaves Gaius tells Merlin she is all but dead, he doesn't know what's causing it or how to cure it. Merlin offers to use magic but Gaius tells him it is too much of a risk and sends him off to collect herbs."**

Gwaine sighs as he hears Merlin's name. "If he is this all powerful warlock, how can he go missing? I mean who could have kidnapped him?"

Arthur sighs. "He goes missing in the castle all the time. I suppose he can just use magic to hide himself, if he doesn't want to be found."

Gwen shakes her head. "He doesn't use magic to hide. He just goes where no one else goes."

Percival nodes. "He goes up to the tallest tower and sits on the battlements when he's in a bad mood. I only know because Lancelot told me where to find him once. It has an amazing view of the city and forest."

"**Meanwhile in the court yard, the hooded figure is waiting. Half his face is scared, it looks like it had been caused by fire. He speaks with Arthur and tells him his name is Edwin, he says he has a remedy that can cure all ills. Arthur doesn't really believe him and refuses to let him speak with the king. Later that night Arthur and Merlin talk, well Merlin talks and Arthur just gets annoyed. The following morning there is still no change in Morgana's condition. So Arthur tells Uthur about Edwin and how he has a remedy to cure all ills. So Edwin is sent for. Uthur then greats Edwin and they talk, before Edwin sets out to cure Morgana. But Gaius is sure he's meet Edwin before and is a bit wary of him. And Arthur gives Edwin Merlin to help out.**

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"**Edwin is surprised in the level of knowledge Merlin has and tells him he is too smart to be a servant. Merlin picks up the box with the beetles in it, but Edwin quickly grabs it from him. After Edwin gets everyone to leave the room, him sets about removing the bug from Morgana's ear. Behind him Gwen enters the room, before he can do anything. After getting the bug out Morgana's ear, he tells the king what he has found and how he has cured the lady Morgana. Whilst Gaius and Merlin share a look. Uthur goes up to Morgana's room to find her awake and pretty much back to normal. **

"**Later that day Gaius and Edwin speak, Gaius still can't get over the feeling he had meet Edwin before. Not long after that Edwin speaks with the king who, asks Edwin to stay. As a reward for curing the lady Morgana, he offers him the chance to dine with him. Meanwhile Gaius goes to see Geoffrey and asks for a book recording all those who died in the great purge. Meanwhile Merlin goes into Edwin room and finds the box of beetles he reads out the runes on the lid and opens it to find all the bugs crawling around. Edwin appears behind Merlin, causing him to jumps and knock over a jar of powder. Merlin hands Edwin the box and he opens it, mutters a spell and the bugs go still. He then works out Merlin has magic."**

"That can't be good." Elyan mutters. "What if someone finds out someone is using magic and Edwin blames Merlin."

Gwen shakes her head. "Edwin was to clever to get caught."

"**Later that night Geoffrey brings Gaius the book he asked for. Meanwhile Uthur is dining with Edwin, where he slowly convinces the king that Gaius could have been wrong on more than one thing. The following morning Merlin wakes up to find Gaius had been awake all night reading the records. Merlin then heads out to gather herbs. While Gaius goes and tells Edwin what he knows. Gaius goes to tell Uthur about Edwin, who blackmails him saying he'll tell about Merlin too. Not long after Merlin walks in.**

"Poor Gaius," Gwen gasps. "He was forced to choose between Merlin or the king."

Tristan smiles slightly. "From what I have seen and heard, Gaius would choose Merlin every time."

Isolde nodes. "They are more like father and son, than uncle and nephew."

"**Later Edwin speaks with the king and tells him about the mistakes he had found in Gaius's work. Morgana tries to defend Gaius, but Uthur will not listen. Later that night, after Merlin is asleep Gaius goes down to see the great dragon. They talk for a while and then Gaius leaves. The following day Uthur forces Gaius to retire. Gaius goes to tell Uthur who Edwin really is, but changes his mind when Edwin appears out of the shadows.**

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"**When Merlin finds out Gaius is leaving, Merlin offers to go with him. But Gaius tells him he must stay in Camelot. Not long after Merlin speaks with Arthur, who tells him about Gaius's other mistakes. But Merlin knew he didn't make any mistakes. Uthur and Edwin walk through halls talking, where Edwin tells Uthur he would like to try a new painkiller for the king shoulder. Down in the lower Gaius is leaving, when Gwen comes up to him. She tells him she thinks Edwin is evil and he should do something about it. But Gaius still leaves."**

Leon sighs. "Camelot wouldn't be the same if Merlin and Gaius never returned."

Gwaine looks at Leon. "You think they might not return?"

"Why should they? They both have magic. They both know all of us know. To return to Camelot would get them killed, the use of magic is punished by death remember."

"Well it's a stupid law!" Gwaine exclaims.

"The law is there to protect the people of this land." Arthur quickly speaks up. "Magic is evil. Merlin and Gaius are just lucky it hasn't corrupted them yet."

"You really believe that?" Percival asks.

Arthur doesn't answer at first. "Both my parents were killed by magic, look what happened to Morgana. She was the kindest person I know."

"What about the druids?" Elyon asks. "I've never seen them hurt anyone."

"**Later that same night Edwin knocks out the king and places a beetle in the kings ear. Out in the forest Gaius changes his mind and sets about returning to Camelot. Returning to his room Edwin is confronted by Gaius, who throws a spell at him. But Gaius got the spell wrong and Edwin throws him back and encircles him in a ring of fire. Elsewhere in the castle Arthur tells Merlin to find Edwin. Merlin quickly runs of and does so. Finding Gaius trapped, Edwin uses magic and throws an axe and Merlin who stops it and throws it back, killing Edwin."**

Everyone grimaces, they all knew how Merlin hated killing things. They were lucky that Merlin would do anything to save anyone of them.

"**Gaius and Merlin find the beetles and quickly make their way to the king. Knowing only magic can save Uthur, Merlin uses magic to save the king. With the king recovered Gaius becomes the court physician and a free citizen of Camelot."**

"Merlin used magic on the king?" Gwaine asks in disbelief.

"Merlin saved his life," Leon mutters. "Even though he could have been killed for doing it."

Arthur just sighs, he didn't know what to think. On one hand he had all that magic had done to harm the kingdom and on the other he had Merlin... Merlin who would never hurt a soul unless he had to... A person who hated hunting and would always speak up for what he thought was right... A loyal friend and someone you could trust with your life... But then Merlin had gone and lied to him for years. All magic Arthur had seen had been used for evil, even Merlin had used it to kill people, a person who would never have killed without it.

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"**Our next story starts with the lady Morgana having a dream of Arthur drowning in a lake, with a pretty girl, dressed in fine silk watching. Morgana wakes with a start. Elsewhere Arthur and Merlin are out hunting. Suddenly they hear screams echoing through the trees, the two of them rush off to help. While Arthur fights the bandits Merlin watches, as a bandit sneaks up behind Arthur Merlin uses his magic to drop a tree branch on them, killing them. The final bandit runs away and Arthur quickly goes over to talk to the people he and Merlin have just saved. The girl, is the girl from Morgana's dream."**

"I get the feeling this isn't going to end well." Elyan mutters.

Gwaine nodes. "I think the girl is going to kill Arthur…. Well try to before Merlin bursts in and saves the day."

Percival nodes. "I wounded how many times Merlin has saved all of us. I mean he saved Isolde life within a couple of days of knowing her."

Leon nodes. "Looks like our good luck is really Merlin."

"**Back in Camelot Uthur greats the new guests, who claim to be royals from another kingdom forced from their home by raiders. Lord Aulfric and his daughter lady Sophia. In Arthur chamber, Arthur is telling Merlin to find a room for Sophia and her father. As Merlin helps Sophia with her things, Morgana appears walking along the corridor and sees Sophia, the girl from her dream. Morgana grabs Merlin's arm and tells him she can't stay here. But Merlin can do nothing, he can't go against the kings orders.**

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"**Morgana quickly makes her way to see Gaius and tells him about her dream. He tells her she has nothing to be worried about, it was just a dream. But as Morgana leaves Gaius tells her not to tell Uthur about it. Later that night in the woods the bandit that escaped waits by a small camp fire, only a couple of second later Aulfric appears. The bandit draws their sword and demands a higher payment due to the fact his friends all died. So Aulfric blasts him with his staff. Back in Camelot, Morgana has the same dream again. As Arthur plans to take Sophia out for a ride, he gets Merlin to lie to the king about where he has gone, landing Merlin it the stocks."**

"You made Merlin lie to the king just so you could go for a ride with Sophia?" Leon asks. "You do relies if Uthur had been a bad mood he would have had Merlin whipped." He remembered the lie Merlin had used, the king had told him before the patrol had started.

Arthur doesn't meet Leon's eye.

"**Morgana watches Arthur and Sophia ride out of Camelot as she tells Gwen about her dream, knowing she couldn't tell Uthur for fear that her dreams were to closely linked to magic. Morgana decides she is going to have to try and stop Sophia from killing Arthur herself. Out in the wood Sophia begins to cast an enchantment on Arthur but is disturbed as a patrol of guards tries to shoot her with a cross bow. Only for her to be saved by Arthur."**

"So Arthur saved the life of the women who's going to try and kill him." Gwaine laughs. "Now I know why Merlin calls you a dollop head."

"Dollop head?" Tristan asks.

"Yeah," Gwaine answers. "When Merlin isn't calling Arthur a prat, he's calling him an dollop head."

Isolde smirks. "Merlin calls the king of Camelot a prat?"

Everyone nodes and grins apart from Arthur who looks annoyed.

"**Back in Camelot Merlin just gets in from his time in the stocks. After Merlin explains why he was in the stocks, Gaius goes to Aulfric and Sophia's room. Where he finds Aulfric's staff. As he looks at it, Aulfric enters the room and yells at him, whilst doing so his eyes change red. Gaius quickly leaves. Down in the court yard Arthur and Sophia as just returning from their trip. Sophia quickly heads back towards her room, but meets Morgana on the way. Who tells her, she will stop Sophia from what she plans to do.**

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"**Sophia returns to her room and tells her father their plan didn't work, he warns her that they do not have much time, Gaius knows who they are. She also tells him of Morgana and how she knows too. Meanwhile Morgana talks to Arthur, trying and failing to warn him of what Sophia plans to do. The following day Arthur gets Merlin to cover for him again. So once more Merlin finds himself in the stocks."**

Everyone looks at Arthur, and shake their heads.

"**Out in the forest Sophia finishes casting her spell. Back in Camelot Merlin has just made it back from the stocks. Gaius is waiting for him, he tells Merlin that he believes Morgana is a seer and her dreams are about to come true."**

"What is a 'seer'?" Gwen asks.

"A seer is a person who can see visions of the future," Taliesin answers. "Most people like your friend Merlin come here and use the crystals to see the future. But seers do not need to do that. Most seers also have magic."

Gwen nodes. "So Merlin has used this cave to see the future?"

Taliesin nodes. "But not through choice, the crystals forced him to watch the future even though he didn't want to. It was a unpleasant and painful experience for Merlin, the magic here is strong and those who try to stop it can get hurt."

"**Meanwhile Sophia is strengthen the spell on Arthur, knowing that people are going to try and stop them. Sophia informs her father that Arthur is ready. Aulfric then leaves the city, but unknown to him Merlin is following him. Merlin follows Aulfric all the way to the lake of Avalon, where he watches as he speaks with the Side. Merlin know knows they plan to sacrifice Arthur to gain passage back to Avalon.**

"**Back in Gaius chamber Gaius tells Merlin what he saw was the land of Avalon, no mortal has ever lied eyes on it and lived, you only see it, moments before death. Merlin isn't to bothered by that he is more worried about what they are going to do with Arthur and how the can stop them. Meanwhile the prince speaks with his father about marrying Sophia, the king refuses to give his blessing. He threatens to have them killed if Arthur does not do as he says. After Arthur leaves the hall Morgana tries to warn Uthur, but he doesn't listen. "**

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"**Meanwhile Merlin tries to stop Arthur from leaving, but before he can Aulfric and Sophia appear. When Merlin tries to prove he is telling the truth, Aulfric blasts Merlin into a wall and he falls to the found unmoving. Not long after Morgana watches Arthur, Aulfric and Sophia leave and goes to Gaius for help. Knowing only Merlin can stop them now, he goes to find Merlin. Arthur is getting closer and closer to the lake."**

"That must have hurt." Gwaine mutters.

Taliesin nodes. "Not many know this but that blast killed him, but only for a couple of seconds. Much like the poison did."

"So Merlin really does die for Arthur."

"**Gaius finds Merlin still passed out, but he quickly wakes up. Merlin runs through the forest as fast as he can towards the lake. Ahead of him, Sophia is leading Arthur out into the water. Merlin arrives at the lake seconds after Arthur vanishes under the water. He picks up Sophia staff and uses it to kill both her and her father. He quickly makes his way into the water and pulls Arthur out. Back in Camelot Arthur finally wakes up, after explaining to Arthur, Merlin knocked him out with a lump of wood, Merlin is once again**** blamed for not telling the king where Arthur was, ending in the stocks."**

Gwaine laughs. "Like Merlin would have needed a lump of wood to knock you out."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

"So," Taliesin says. "That is us done for today. Do you wish to return to Camelot or stay here for the night."

"We will stay." Gwen answers for everyone. "The people know we were going and planned to be gone for up to a week."

Taliesin nodes. "Then I bid you good night."

He vanishes into thin air, leaving them standing as bed rolls appear at their feet.

"I wonder if they have found Merlin yet?" Isolde asks.

"It's going to be a cold night, so I hope they have." Tristan answers.

**Hey, hope you liked that. Please feel free to tell me if you think I am adding in to many people in, the last couple of chapter Alice, Gill and Daegal have all shown up. Let me know if there is anything you think I can do better, until next time, **

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter ten: Last chance and broken bones.

Daegal looks round, not far from him Merlin was sitting with his back against a tree. Around them dusk was creeping through the landscape. Merlin had been resting for the last couple of hours, he was into much pain to move. Daegal suspected Merlin had more than just a couple of broken ribs, but there was no way to treat him out here in the middle of a forest. Since Merlin's magic had taken care of that patrol of Camelot guards, it was too dangerous to go near any villages. Merlin had helped Gaius treat a great many people in his time, anyone could recognise him. Since Merlin had rescued Alice from the flames the number of patrols had also increased, it was a miracle they hadn't been found again. Behind him Merlin gasps in pain as he forces himself to his feet, Daegal quickly takes his arm as he almost falls over.

"Maybe we should stop for the night?" Daegal mutters.

Merlin shakes his head. "We have no supplies. Tonight is going to be cold, if we stay out here, we will freeze."

"But where can we go? Going near any village is too much of a risk."

"We have to keep moving and hope some of my friends find us. They must be out looking by now, I was supposed to be back hours ago."

Daegal nodes. "What if they don't find us?"

Merlin shrugs. "We will just have to keep moving and hope we find somewhere. If I remember correctly there should be an old hunter's hunt near here, the last time I was there, no one lived there. Me and a friend were traveling to a place called the isles of the blessed. We had to stop for the night, we found the man who lived there, dead. But of course someone may have moved in by now, lets hope no one has."

Daegal nodes. "But we are traveling towards Camelot. We are bound to be caught."

Merlin shakes his head. "No we are traveling towards the valley of the fallen kings, the hut I am talking about is near the far entrance to the valley. I also know where the crystal caves are, from there I can send a message to a friend and they will come and get us. I am in no fit state to cast a teleportation spell."

"I sometimes wish I had magic," Daegal mutters. "My mother used to do such good with her power. Before we were forced to flee our village when someone told Uthur about us."

Merlin smiles sadly. "Uthur was a great man in many ways. But what he did to those with magic was unforgivable. I just hope Arthur is different, I had hoped to tell him about my magic. But I choose to save a life at the worst possible time, but I do not regret what I did."

"I'm sure Arthur is different, he has made peace with the druids hasn't he?"

Merlin shakes his head. "He said he will leave them alone and let them live in peace. But he has not accepted their magic, that is what the druids stand for, peace, magic and knowledge. It like you have a coin but you only want one side of it, you cannot have one without the other."

Daegal nodes. "You used to be his manservant?"

Merlin nodes. "Yeah, had been for nearly four years."

"So he trusts you? Maybe you could change his mind."

Merlin sighs. "It's too late for that I lost my chance the moment I saved Isolde life. If I return to Camelot I will be killed, even if Arthur doesn't want me dead the guards and knights have no option but to kill me, it is the law."

"Then it is a stupid law."

"Tell me about it."

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Gaius sat holding Alice's hand, as she sat across from him at the table. Hunith was across the room, cooking. Since Merlin had vanished the whole kingdom had been worried, Merlin often went off on his own. But he had been due back for lessons hours ago, since that time a couple more assassins had been caught. Gaius knew his ward was more than capable of looking after himself, but he couldn't help but worry. Alice smiles sadly, Merlin had risked being caught to save her from the flames and possibly made himself Camelot new most wanted. When Alice had been in Camelot she bad seen how loyal Merlin was, if a patrol was to find Merlin he wouldn't fight them, at least she didn't think he would. At that moment a druid appears through the door.

"A patrol of Camelot guard where found, all knocked out. A witness described the person who did it, we believe it was Emrys. He was injured and had someone with him, they were heading towards Camelot. Alator believes they are heading for the crystal caves, if Merlin was hurt he wouldn't have the power to use a spell to get him back here. The great dragon has just flown out to see if he can find them, with the help of the little white dragon."

Hunith rushes over. "You said he was injured. Do you know what type of injures?"

The druid shakes his head. "All the witness said was he was badly hurt, the other boy had been supporting him."

Hunith collapses into a chair, it was her job as a mother to worry about her son. Alice quickly pulls Hunith into a hug.

"He'll be fine, I'm sure of it." She mutters. "If he was able to knock out a whole patrol, he's okay."

Gaius nodes slightly. "In my time of knowing Merlin, he has survived many things."

Hunith nodes. "He is my only son, he is all I have."

"Hunith, he will be fine."

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Daegal and Merlin make their way into the valley of the fallen kings, this was the path he, Arthur and the knights had been ambushed on not that long ago. Merlin shivers slightly as he remembered what had happened not long after Morgana had found him, he had tried to kill the king. Around them the forest was almost in complete darkness, the silence was deafening. Nothing moved, there wasn't even the usual wind you had in this area. Merlin couldn't help but feel like something terrible was about to happen, but the valley always gave him that feeling. Beside him Daegal was glancing around, looking a lot like a startled animal.

"Are you sure this place is safe, Merlin?"

"No, but it is our only hope of getting hold of Alator."

"This place is giving me a bad feeling."

Merlin glances at Daegal for a moment. "Only people with magic get that feeling here, it is possible you share your mothers gift."

Daegal smiles slightly. "My mother always used to call it animal instincts, I could always sense danger but she never said it was magic."

Merlin smiles. "Well you have a right to be worried, this place is usually teaming with bandits. Ever time I have been here, I have been ambushed or chased into the valley. We will, hopefully, be fine. There is only two of us and we have nothing of value, so the bandits might leave us alone."

"And if you are wrong?"

"Then we might get into a bit of trouble, nothing that shouldn't be too hard to deal with."

They keep walking until Merlin suddenly stops.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Daegal asks.

Merlin holds up his hand for silence, both he and Daegal listen. For a moment there is nothing but silence, then they hear it, a laugh, well more than one person laughing not far ahead of them. Through the trees you can see a pale orange glow of a fire. Merlin and Daegal both glance at each other, a bandit camp. Slowly the two of them make their way off the path and through the trees hoping to circle around the camp. As they make their way along the ridge above the bandit camp, one of the bandits spots them and fires an arrow. Merlin loses his balance as his ankle gives way and slips, missing the arrow by an inch. He slides down the ridge, into the camp Daegal quickly follows, knowing both of them had been seen. As Daegal helps Merlin to his feet, the bandit leader steps forward.

"What do with have here?" he mocks. "Two boys spying on our camp." He draws his , suddenly turning serious. "Who sent you?"

"Why would we want to spy on you?" Merlin ask, slightly surprised anyone would want to get close enough to a group of bandits to spy on them.

"Why would we tell you?"

Merlin shrugs. "Well if that's all, we better be on our way. We have places to be, as much as it's lovely chatting with you, we have to go. Places to be and what not."

The bandit raises his sword and steps towards him. "You're not going anywhere, boy!"

"If you value your lives, you won't take another step." Merlin growls, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with bandits at the moment.

The men around them laugh.

"Do you know who I am?" The bandit leader laughs. "I've killed knights of Camelot, they are far tougher than you boy." He points his sword at Merlin's neck. Behind Merlin, Daegal looks around in alarm, there were far more men, than had been in the Camelot patrol.

"Last chance." Merlin warns.

"What are you going to do," He growls. "You don't even have a sword!"

"I don't need one." Merlin answers. His eyes flash and the bandit leader is thrown back, around them the rest of the bandits run off.

"That went well." Daegal mutters. "Only two warnings?"

Merlin shrugs. "What can I say... I'm in a bad mood."

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Aithusa flew over the trees, Kilgharrah wasn't that far behind. Aithusa was looking for Merlin, the two dragons had been told Merlin had been heading towards the valley of the fallen kings. Aithusa may have been a young dragon, but was fiercely protective, more protective than Kilgharrah. Through the trees below Aithusa notices two people walking, one of them is Merlin. Aithusa drops thought the air and lands on Merlin's shoulders, causing him to jumps in surprise and yelp in pain.

"Oh, hey Aithusa." He greets, with a slightly pained voice.

Not long after Kilgharrah, who wasn't far behind, lands a couple of seconds later and studies Daegal and Merlin closely. Daegal takes a step back in surprise and fear, before glancing at Merlin.

"Young warlock," Kilgharrah greets. "Why did you not call for help? You are injured."

"I did not want to bother you," Merlin answers. "My injuries are not that bad. Oh this is Daegal by the way. He's been helping me."

Kilgharrah turns his gaze to Daegal. "I must thank you for helping my lord, we must leave now. Merlin needs to have his injures treated."

Daegal just shares at the dragon, before turning to Merlin. "It can talk."

Merlin nodes. "It's just a shame he can never give a straight answer when you need it."

"We must leave now Merlin." Kilgharrah commands.

"Okay, okay, but Daegal has to come with us. Before he helped me, he was on his way to the perilous lands. You could say it's a way of thanking him for helping me."

Kilgharrah glares at Merlin. "I am not a horse Merlin."

"I know, you're a dragon. You would have to be quite stupid to make that mistake. The size difference is quite massive, plus you breath fire, horses sadly enough do not."

**Hey, just a couple of questions. Does anyone know the names of the druids, I know there is one that begins with 'I' but I have no idea how to spell it. And does anyone know if Aithusa is male or female? I'm sure Aithusa is male, but I have heard people say Aithusa is female. Next up will hopefully be the moment of truth,**

**Blessed be, **

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter eleven: The moment of truth.

"**In a time of myth and a land of magic the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulder of a young boy, his name…. Merlin."**

Everyone was on their feet in seconds, before them was a screen.

"It is time to see Merlin's next adventure, I'm afraid the order of the adventure is a little out here. But I thought now I had the power to once again show you what happened you would like to watch it."

"What happened to a normal 'good morning, time to get up'?" Gwaine groans.

Taliesin smiles. "When you have been dead for six hundred years, you forget what it is like to be alive."

"You've been dead for six hundred years?" Elyan asks, shocked.

Taliesin nodes. "I am, the first time I was bought back from the realm of the dead was to help Merlin. And once again I have been bought back to help him."

"Does Merlin know you are dead?" Percival asks. "Because when he came calling for you, he seemed to act like you were alive."

"Merlin knows I am dead. As for you, Gwaine, after the first time me and Merlin met, he came back here. He needed help with something, so to start the conversation he asked me how being dead was coming along."

"Sounds like something Merlin would say." Arthur mutters.

Leon looks at Taliesin with concern. "Doesn't it damage your spirit being here?"

Taliesin shakes his head. "No, the magic from this cave is pure. It stops my soul from becoming corrupted. But now we must get on with our story."

**A small village comes into view, it is quiet and peaceful. People walk around as they work greeting people as they pass each other. Suddenly a large group of men on horseback enter the village, people start running and screaming. All the men except one jumps down from their horses.**

"**Search the place." The one on the horse orders.**

**Meanwhile Hunith and Will both come out their houses to see what is going on. The group of horsemen go through the homes around them, dragging people out as they do so.**

"**Find him." The man on the horse yells.**

**At last a man is dragged forward and thrown to the ground in front of the horse.**

"**Its harvest time," the man on the horse mocks. "What's this?" the man yells as he handed to small sacks. "Where is the rest of it?"**

"**I only kept back what we need to survive." The man on the ground answers.**

"**Survive?" the man on the horse asks. "I'll be back in one week, farmer, and I want to see all of it."**

**Hunith runs forward. "You can't take our food." Hunith cries running forward. "Our children will stave, I can't let you do this. You're not taking any of it." She pulls at the sacks the man is holding, but he just hits her forcing her to fall to the ground.**

"**Hunith!" A man yells running forward. But the man on the horse shoots him with his cross bow.**

"**I will give you a week, don't you dare disappoint me." He growls to the farmer, who was helping Hunith. "I'll see you later, sweetheart." He grins wickedly to Hunith. With that riders leave the village, while the farmer helps Hunith to her feet. Everyone watches them go.**

**A couple of days later Hunith arrives in Camelot, she walks through the streets looking around. Merlin who had just finished collecting water at the well spots her and walks forward.**

"**Mother?" He asks.**

**Hunith runs forward. "Merlin!" She cries, pulling her son into a hug.**

"**What happened?" Merlin asks, noticing her black eye, Hunith didn't answer. "Who did this to you?"**

"That's Merlin's mother?" Gwaine asks. "I would hate to be the man that did that to her, Merlin after all, is an all-powerful warlock."

Percival smiles slightly. "Whenever I have heard Merlin speak of his mother, he speaks of her highly."

"I can see where Merlin gets his courage from." Isolde mutters. "What she did was brave."

"And a bit foolish." Tristan adds.

"Don't let Merlin hear you say that." Gwen warns. "He lets no one speak a bad word against his mother, and neither will I."

Leon glances at Gwen. "I take it you have met her?"

"Me, Gwen and Morgana have all met her." Arthur answers.

Elyan glances at his sister. "Well she looks nothing like Merlin, even their eyes are different... Maybe he looks more like his father."

"Does anyone know who Merlin's father is?" Gwaine asks. "Merlin told me about him once, but never who he actually was. All he said was he was a friend of Uthur's, but then Uthur turned against him and tried to hunt him down."

Everyone shakes their heads.

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**In Camelot Hunith gets a meeting with the king and asks for help, but he will not risk the life of his men or a war with Cenred, so offers no help. Morgana helps Hunith from the throne room as Merlin just glare's at Uthur.**

**Later Arthur stands next to a wall over looking the city. Suddenly Merlin appears beside him.**

"**I'm sorry," Arthur starts. "If it were up to me, we would be on our way there now."**

"**Well, you tried." Merlin answers. "And thanks for getting an ordinance with the king."**

"**I wish we were able to help people regardless of how far away they lived."**

**There is silence for a moment.**

"**I'm going back to Ealdor." Merlin states, turn to Arthur.**

"**Of course."**

"**It has been an honour serving you."**

"**You'll be coming back?"**

"**Well, she's my mother." Merlin answers. "l have to look after her, before anyone else. You understand?"**

"**I would do the same…. Well you've been terrible. Really I mean it, the worst servant I've had."**

**Merlin laughs. "Thank you, sire."**

"**Merlin," Arthur calls, as Merlin turns to leave. "Good luck." Merlin just nodes and walks off.**

**Later on Gwen is helping Merlin pack, she gives him a sword. Morgana appears and tells Merlin, she and Gwen are going with him. Later on still, Gaius is giving Merlin more things to pack. He tells Merlin to do whatever it takes.**

Arthur just snorts. "I can't believe Merlin said that."

Gwaine laughs. "It feels sword-y."

"Well, Merlin has never had to use a sword before he came to Camelot." Leon mutters. "I'm not surprised he didn't know what to say."

Percival nodes. "Even now he still doesn't need a sword, he could beat all of us with a snap of his figures."

Gwen nodes. "I would hate to get on the wrong side of Merlin."

Isolde nodes. "I would hate to be Morgana. Merlin can fight her openly now, she won't know what hit her."

Tristan shakes his head. "You speak as if Merlin is a weapon, he is not. And you should never think of him as such."

Elyan nodes. "Merlin has a great power, but he should never be used as a weapon."

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**Later that night Merlin and his mother sit by a camp fire, talking.**

"**They shouldn't be here," Hunith mutters. "Especially the lady Morgana, she's the king's ward."**

"**Not that you would know it." Merlin answers. "She's the only person I know who isn't frightened of him."**

"**It won't make any difference to Konan, that they are women."**

"**I know. But I couldn't talk them out of coming. I want to make him pay for what he did to you."**

"**Promise me you'll be careful. No one can know about you."**

"**They won't, they never do."**

"**Get some rest." Hunith kisses her sons forehead, before going to lie down.**

**Merlin smiles and picks up a half burnt stick and blows on it. He mutters a spell and the sparks form the shape of the Camelot dragon.**

**Later that night Merlin hears and noise in the wood and goes to look only to find its Arthur.**

"Merlin can do some beautiful things with magic." Gwen smiles.

Elyan smiles at his sister. "I'm sure when we see him again, he'll show a couple of magic tricks."

Gwaine nodes. "I still want to know if he can turn water into ale."

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur mutters. "Merlin cannot return to Camelot, magic is outlawed on pain of death."

"But you are the king." Percival mutters. "You can change that."

Leon shakes his head. "It is not that simple, the change has to be done slowly. Otherwise the people could start a civil war, that's the last thing we need."

Tristan shakes his head. "Most people are more excepting of magic than you think. They only turn people in from fear if they do not, they will be punished too. Those who are caught helping those with magic are sentenced to death too."

Isolde nodes. "Many people go to the druids, to get help when they need healing. Of course close to Camelot people are too scared to, but further away people do use magic to help. But only if they have no other hope."

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**Arthur and Merlin sit up talking, before Arthur goes off to get some rest. The following day they arrive just as Kanan is destroying the village. Everyone enters battle mode. Merlin uses magic to heat up the hilt of a man's sword causing him to drop it before killing him. Behind Merlin, Will watches. As Kanan and his mean ride away, Will approaches Merlin.**

"**You still up to the same old magic tricks again." Will mutters.**

**Merlin lowers his sword and walks towards him, no longer smiling.**

"**Look, I thought I told you, I didn't want your kind around here?"**

**He and Merlin glare at each other for a moment, before grinning.**

"**Missed you too, Will." The two of them hug and laugh. "It's good to see you again."**

**The two of them were about to chat, when Arthur orders Merlin to gather the villagers.**

Gwaine laughs. "For a moment there I thought that Will kid was serious."

Percival nodes. "I wounded how he knew about Merlin's magic, I mean it's quite clear he knew about it before Merlin cast that spell on the sword."

Elyan nodes. "I heard Merlin mention Will once it his sleep, he was having a nightmare. I was on watch at the time, I asked him what it was about and he said it was nothing."

Leon nodes. "Merlin has a lot of secrets, as hard as it is to believe. We don't know hardly anything about him, even now watching this there is still stuff we do not know and may never know."

Tristan nodes. "I have not known Merlin long, but everything about him is an act. He is not stupid, he is clever. He acts all clumsy, but he isn't. He uses humour to hide and defend himself, it's all an act."

"The Merlin you know, is only half of the person he is." Isolde explains. "He is the bravest person I have ever met. He risks his life to save the life of the son of the man, who would have him killed for the way he was born."

Gwen nodes. "Merlin is the most loyal person I know. But when you look in his eyes, they are the eyes of a man who had seen to many things. Suffered too much, been hurt too much and knows the world for what it truly is."

Arthur sighs. "Why do all that, though, why risk it for us?"

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**Not long after Arthur gives a speech to the village, in which Will disagrees with him and runs off. Merlin quickly follows him. Meanwhile all the villagers agree with what Arthur has said. **

**Merlin follows Will to his house, where he is trying to sort the place out.**

"**He knows what he is doing." Merlin mutters. "You've got to trust him…. Look, when I first met Arthur, I was exactly like you. I hated him. I thought he was pompous and arrogant."**

"**Well nothing has changed there then" **

"**But, in time, I came to respect him for what he stands for…. What he does."**

"**Yeah, know what he stands for: princes, kings, all men like him."**

"**Will, don't bring what happened to your father into this."**

"**I'm not. Why are you defending him so much? You've just his servant."**

"**He is also my friend."**

"**Friends don't lord it over on another."**

"**He isn't like that."**

"**Really? Well let's wait until the fighting begins and see who he sends in to die first. I guarantee you, it won't be him!"**

"**I trust Arthur with my life."**

"**Is that so? So he knows your secret then? Look face it Merlin, you're living a lie. Just like you were here. You're Arthur's servant nothing more. Otherwise you would tell him the truth."**

"How could he trust me with his life, if he never told me the truth?" Arthur asked.

Leon grins slightly. "Gwaine here, trusts you with his life and he has some deep dark secret only Merlin knows."

Gwaine didn't even smile, Merlin had once told him, he reminded him of a friend he once had. They had the same story, the same hatred for nobles, but both risked their life for Arthur. Now Gwaine knew who he meant, Will, Merlin's first true friend. They even had the same type of humour.

Percival notices Gwaine silence. "What's the matter, Gwaine?"

"It's nothing." Gwaine mutters.

Elyan looks at him. "Are you sure, you are never quite."

Tristan glances at Gwaine. "Leave him be, he'll talk about it in his own time. When he is ready."

Isolde and Gwen share a look, the chances were Gwaine would only speak to Merlin.

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**Later that night everyone but Arthur and Merlin were asleep.**

"**Have you always slept on the floor?" Arthur asked.**

"**Yeah," Merlin answers. "The bed back in Camelot is a luxury by comparison."**

"**Must've been hard."**

"**Mmm," Merlin mutters. "It's like rock."**

"**I didn't mean the ground," Arthur answers annoyed. "I meant, for you, it must have been difficult."**

"**Mmm, not really. I didn't know any better. Life's simple out here. You eat what you grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you've got food on the table and a roof over your head, you're happy."**

"**Sounds…. Nice."**

"**You'd hate it."**

"**No doubt…. Why'd you leave?"**

"**Things just…. Changed."**

"**How?... Come on, stop pretending to be interesting. Tell me."**

"**I just didn't fit in any more. I wanted to find somewhere I did."**

"**Had any luck?"**

"**I'm not sure yet."**

**There is silence for a moment.**

"**We'll start training the men tomorrow. It's going to be a long day. Get the candle."**

**Merlin blows out the candle. **

**The next morning Morgana and Arthur have a small falling out. And Arthur doesn't eat his breakfast. Once Morgana, Gwen and Arthur are gone. Merlin and his mother have a talk.**

Gwen glares at Arthur. "I still can't believe you didn't eat the food."

Arthur sighs. "I'm sorry, I just didn't like it."

"Why?" Tristan asks. "Was it not good enough for you?"

Arthur glares at Tristan, but doesn't answer.

Percival sighs. "Merlin must have had a hard life."

Elyan nodes. "I wonder if he thinks he fits in now. I mean Camelot won't be the same without him."

"Merlin will not be able to return to Camelot, if Arthur doesn't change the law."

Once more Gwaine was silent.

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**As Merlin makes his way into the wood with an axe, Will comes running up behind him.**

"**Merlin!" He calls. "Where are you going with that thing?"**

"**What does it look like? We need wood."**

**Will laughs. "We both know you don't need an axe to fell a tree."**

"**And I remember the trouble it got me into. I nearly flattened old man Simmons." Pointing the axe towards the old man's house.**

"**Ha. Yeah, well, he deserved it, stupid old crow."**

"**Mmm, he never did like me anyway."**

"**Well, even less after that."**

**After a moments silence Merlin asks. "Why are you being like this?"**

"**You know why." Will mutters sitting down on a fallen tree, Merlin sits next to him. "Why did you leave?"**

"**It wasn't what I wanted. My mother was worried. When she found out you knew, she was so angry."**

"**I wouldn't have told anyone."**

"**Will, I know you wouldn't."**

"**You'd be able to defeat Kanan on your own, wouldn't you?"**

"**I'm not sure, maybe."**

"**Well, so what's stopping you? So what if Arthur finds out?"**

"**I don't expect you to understand."**

"**Try me."**

"**One day Arthur will be a great king, but he needs my help. And if anyone found about my powers, I'd have to leave Camelot for good."**

"**Are you telling me, you'd rather keep your magic a secret for Arthur's sake than use it to protect your friends and family?"**

Everyone looked at each other. Merlin really did believe in his destiny and would do anything to make sure it happened.

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**Back in the village Arthur begins to train the villagers. Will and Merlin watch from the side lines, while Morgana and Gwen sharpen swords. Gwen quickly decides that men are not the only ones who can fight. Seeing that Mathew was struggling Arthur gives him the job of being a look out. Later on Morgana and Gwen speak with Arthur. Later that night Merlin hears Gwen and Morgana talking. The following morning Arthur begins to plan a way to trap Kanan and his men. But there talk is interrupted by Mathews return, he is dead. A note is pinned to his back with an arrow from a cross bow. Will tells everyone it is hopeless.**

"**Don't bother, Merlin. I'm not interested." Will growls.**

"**You should be. Because tomorrow Kanan attacks, and whether you like it or not, we'll have to fight."**

"**Not if I'm not here."**

"**Well, that's up to you, but the rest of us are staying…. Join us Will, this isn't about Arthur, this is about your friends. Are you really going to abandon them?"**

"**What, like you did?"**

"**I'm here now."**

"**Yeah. Yeah you are. And you could end this now, if you used magic. Then no one else would have to die."**

"**You know I can't."**

"**Can't or won't? I'm not the one abandoning these people, Merlin you are."**

**As Will leaves, Merlin just stands there, not knowing what to do.**

"How could he say that?" Elyan gasps. "Merlin was going to risk his life with or without the use of magic and yet Will is the one leaving."

Percival nodes. "Merlin is no coward, no matter what anyone thinks."

Leon nodes. "Merlin truly is brave, Will shouldn't have told him that."

Isolde glare at the image of Will. "If Merlin had shown Arthur his magic, there would be no Albion. And hundreds of Merlin's kin would kept getting killed and there would be no golden age."

"Merlin carries a heavy burden and he carries it alone," Tristan adds. "He didn't need to be made to feel guilty."

Gwen nodes. "Hopefully after this Merlin won't feel so alone."

"Maybe the law on magic does need to change." Arthur mutters.

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**Merlin speaks with Arthur and convinces him that Will is wrong and explains why Will has such a hatred for nobility. In side Merlin's home Hunith listens to them speak. Hunith knows Merlin is planning on using magic. Later that night Arthur speaks to the village, Gwen steps forward and tells Arthur that the women are going to fight too. Later that night Hunith speaks with Merlin. She tells him not to use magic. **

**The following morning Gwen and Arthur have a slight falling out over breakfast. As Arthur and Merlin prepare for battle Merlin goes to tell Arthur about his magic, but is interrupted by Morgana as she comes to tell them Kanan and his men have crossed the river. Merlin and Arthur watch as Kanan and his men storm towards their village, before quickly ta****king up their posts. **

**Gwen and some others pull up a gate trapping Kanan and his men in the village. Meanwhile Morgana can****not get the fire started. Arthur knows something must have gone wrong, so Merlin runs. Kanan and his men spot him and Merlin is forced to dodge two arrows, before he reaches Morgana, while Morgana isn't watching Merlin uses magic to light the fire. And so the battle starts. After Merlin makes his first kill, a rider comes up behind him, Will jumps off a nearby roof and kills the rider.**

"**I didn't think you were coming!" Merlin grins.**

"**Neither did I." Will smiles.**

**The two of them start to fight back to back, as the both kill the people they were fighting,**** t****hey stop and look around. They notice that they are losing.**

"**There's too many of them." Will mutters.**

"**Not for me, there isn't." Merlin replies looking around. **

**Merlin holds out his hand and mutters a spell his eyes glow gold and a whirlwind forms in front of them****. After the whirlwind has done its job, it vanishes. Behind Arthur, Kanan appears and the two of them fight. O****nce Arthur thinks Kanan is dead,**** he turns on Merlin and Will, Merlin steps forward but before he can say anything, Will pushes Arthur out the way of an arrow, getting hit in the process. Knowing he's about to die Will says he was the sorcerer. After Arthur and the others leave Will and Merlin say their finally goodbyes. As Will dies, Merlin wipes the tears from his eyes. His best friend had just died and he could do nothing to stop it.**

**Later Arthur and Merlin stand side by side as they watch Will's body burn.**

"**I'm sorry," Arthur mutters. "I know he was a close friend."**

"**He still is." Merlin answers.**

"**You knew he was a sorcerer, didn't you? That's what you were going to tell me?"**

"**Yes." Merlin lied. "It was."**

"**You know how dangerous magic is. You shouldn't have kept this from me, Merlin." Arthur then**** walks off.**

**Hunith walks up and stands beside her son.**

"**You'd better be going." She mutters softly.**

"**I don't have to go."**

"**Yes, you do."**

"**If anything were to happen to you…."**

"**I know where to find you. You have to go, Merlin. You belong at Arthur's side. I've seen how much he needs you, how much you need him. You're like two sides of the same coin."**

"**I've heard someone say that about us before." Merlin half smiles. "I'm going to miss you." He hugs his mother.**

"**I'm going to miss you, too. When you left, you were a boy. Now look at you. I'm so proud of you."**

Leon turns to Arthur. "He was going to tell you he had magic. See he did want to tell you, then you go and say how dangerous magic is. That's really going to make him trust you."

Percival nodes. "Plus you looked like you were about to kill whoever admitted to using magic."

"Plus who knew Merlin had a talent in battle, he avoided to arrows and can use a sword just about." Elyan mutters.

Gwen nodes. "I'm glad in a way that Will took the blame, if he hadn't, we would more than likely be dead by now."

Arthur just watches as the screen fades away. Thinking about all he had ever told Merlin, was magic couldn't be trusted, so Merlin had ever reason to not trust him.


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twelve: Excalibur and The labyrinth of Gedref.

Gwaine sat in silence, everyone had noticed it. But no one knew what to do, whenever anyone was upset it was always Merlin who knew what to do. Taliesin notices, too.

"Gwaine," He states. "When this next story is over, I will take you to see Merlin."

Gwaine looks up. "He was found then?"

Taliesin nodes. "He was returned home late last night, after all of you had gone to sleep. He passed out not long after he got back and still hasn't woken up yet."

"What happened to him?"

"He was pushed off a cliff." Taliesin answers.

Gwaine looks alarmed. "Is he okay?"

"He cracked his skull, broke five ribs, fractured a wrist, broke his ankle and gained quite a lot of small injures. All those have been healed now, and he will wake up soon. Gaius said it would be good for him to see a friend, so I'm choosing you to see him. I believe you need to see him, too."

Gwaine nodes. "Well then let's get on with the story."

"**Our story begins with the witch Nimueh standing over a grave in the catacombs below Camelot. Casting a spell, the grave cracks open and a skeleton hand appears through the opening. Meanwhile in the throne room Arthur is being crowned prince, while Gwen and Merlin joke about it. Suddenly a black knight on horseback bursts through the window showering everyone in glass. Arthur and the knights all draw their swords, as people start running. Gwen and Merlin are the only two who don't run as they watch the black knight approach the king and knights. The black knight throws down one of his gauntlet, but before Arthur can pick it up, sir Owain, picks it up and accepts the challenge."**

"Single combat to the death." Tristan mutters. "That can't be good if that knight was risen from the grave."

Isolde glances around. "Is it normal for the dead to attack Camelot? I've heard you have been attacked by a lot people who were bought back from the dead."

Percival shrugs. "I guess it must be the easiest form of dark magic."

Elyan shakes his head. "No, it's the only one everyone knows we cannot kill. You can't kill what is already dead."

"I'm just glad Merlin's always there to stop it." Gwen mutters. "It must be him, he's the only one with enough power to do so."

"We have a lot to thank Merlin for." Leon mutters.

Arthur shakes his head. "You can kill the dead. My father killed the black knight."

"And we all know Merlin had something to do with that," Gwaine mutters. "You should know that by now."

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"**Later that night Merlin and Gaius talk about the black knight. Meanwhile Arthur is speaking with Morgana and Gwen and complains about how Owain shouldn't have picked up the gauntlet. Later still Gaius goes down to the library and speaks with Geoffrey, they work out who the black knight is. Afterwards Gaius goes and tells Uthur, who sits at a table, sword lain before him. As it turns out Uthur was the one who killed him, the black knight."**

"So who is this black knight?" Percival asks.

"He was one of Arthur's uncles. A bother of his mother, Uthur killed him after he challenged him to single combat." Taliesin answers.

"Why? What did my father do?" Arthur asks.

"Your uncle found out the truth about your birth."

"What do you mean?"

"You will find out soon enough."

"**The following day Arthur and Merlin prepare sir Owain for battle. Not long after Gwen appears with a token from Morgana for Owain to wear. Later on the battle field, Merlin watches the fight, with Gaius beside him. Merlin cheers as the Owain stabs the black knight through the middle, but it does not damage to the knight and Owain is killed. The black knight throwers down his gauntlet once more and another knight takes the challenge. As the black knight leaves Merlin tells Gaius he should be dead, but Gaius replies maybe he already is. After the battle Arthur has a go at his father, for stopping him from taking up the challenge. Later that night Merlin and Gaius go down in to the catacombs, as they enter the door is slammed shut behind them and Merlin uses magic to light a torch, they make their way through the graves and find one grave that has broken into or someone has broken out of. Not long after Gaius and Merlin head back, Gaius quickly explains who the dark knight is and what happened to him. They decide that they are dealing with a wraith. No mortal weapon can kill it."**

"What is a wraith?" Elyan asks.

"It is the soul of a troubled spirit summoned from the grave to live once more, by powerful magic." Taliesin answers.

"Would Merlin be able to do something like that?" Percival asks.

"It is possible, but it is a form of dark magic. Merlin would only use it if he had no other choice."

Gwen nodes. "Can Merlin speak with the dead?"

"I believe he can, if he wishes it. There is a reason for that, but that is a story only he can tell you."

Leon sighs. "But the question is would Merlin tell us if we asked? I know he can get out of answering any question is he wishes it, we would have no way of forcing him to answer."

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"**The following day the Black knight battles once more, this time everyone sees it suffer a mortal wound, but it recovers and then kills the knight who he was fighting. This time Arthur challenges him to combat, but to the displeasure of Uthur. Later Arthur and Uthur have an augment. Knowing no mortal weapon can kill it, Merlin starts looking for a spell that can kill it. Later that night Gaius speaks with Uthur and tells him what he believes has happened. Gaius tells Uthur he must tell Arthur the truth about his birth or Arthur will go to his death."**

"What truth?" Arthur demands. "Tell me."

Taliesin shakes his head. "It will be told soon, you will not have to wait long until you find out. But you will not like the answer."

"**Merlin sneaks out the castle and casts a spell setting the black knight on fire, but it does nothing to harm the knight. He quickly runs back to the castle and straight to Arthur. After Merlin tries to warn Arthur he nearly gets his head chopped off with a sword so he leaves knowing there is only one thing he can do. Back in the hall, out of the shadows Nimueh appears and speaks to Uthur about the truth behind Arthur's birth. That Uthur used magic to have Arthur and in exchange for Arthur life, his mother's was taken.**

Arthur froze, everything he and been told about his mother's death was true. Merlin had lied to him.

"He lied to me!" Arthur yells. "Merlin told me that wasn't true, when he knew it was true all along."

Leon glares at Arthur. "And if he hadn't, you would have killed your father. Merlin knew you would never be able to live with yourself if you killed your father. He did it because it was the best for you."

Arthur just shakes his head. "I can't believe I ever trusted him. He lied about this, he lied about magic. What else has he lied about? I can't believe I was about to trust him again. All those with magic are evil."

"How can you say that?" Gwen shrieks at him. "Merlin best friend died in his arms and Merlin was unable to heal him, because if he did he would have been burnt because he lied to keep Merlin safe. Merlin has risked his life for you. Just because he couldn't tell you the truth doesn't make him a liar."

Arthur shakes his head. "He lied to me, about my mother, of all people. He knew she meant more to me than anyone else."

"And if he hadn't lied you would have killed you father in cold blood." Leon replies.

"That is no reason to lie."

"So what you'll have him killed! The truth about your mother death makes Uthur the bad person here. Not Merlin. Merlin hasn't killed hundreds of innocent people because he could not live with his own guilt! If anything this shows how much Merlin is willing to sacrifice for you, if you had killed your father magic would have been freed! But Merlin knew you wouldn't be able to live with the guilt, so he lied, meaning more of his kind would be killed and maybe even him if he wasn't careful." Gwen rants.

"Do not speak of my father in such a way!" Arthur yells.

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"**Down in the library Merlin is looking through book after book for a weapon that can kill the dead. Suddenly Geoffrey appears behind Merlin. After he and Merlin talk, he tells him of a blade that can kill the dead. A couple of hours later Geoffrey finally finds the book with the weapon in it. A sword forged in a dragon's breath. Merlin runs from the library straight down to Gwen's house, where he asks for the best sword her father had ever made. Meanwhile Morgana begs Arthur not to fight. Elsewhere in the castle Uthur and Gaius talk, where Uthur said he will take Arthur's place in the fight. Back in Gwen's house she gives Merlin the sword her father has been saving, the best sword he had ever made. Merlin thanks her and takes it to the dragon. Merlin promises the dragon that Arthur and Arthur alone will wield the sword. And so the dragon and Merlin forge the sword.**

"That's Excalibur!" Gwen gasps. "Arthur that sword you pulled from the stone is the best sword my father ever made."

Elyan smiles. "Excalibur is a great sword, but why did Merlin put it in a stone in the middle of the wood why not just give it to Arthur?"

Arthur draws Excalibur. "It's just another thing Merlin has lied about." He throws the sword to the ground.

Taliesin picks it up, quickly. "Merlin and the great dragon made this sword for you and you alone. Do not cast it away as if it is nothing more than waste of space. In the wrong hands this sword can do great damage. Merlin will not be pleased you have done this."

"Plus," Gwaine mutters. "It's not like he could have told you how he forged it and put it in a stone in the middle of a forest."

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**Later that night Gaius drugs Arthur knocking him out. The next day Uthur fights the wraith with the sword. And so Uthur fights and wins with the help of the sword. Later that night Merlin gets told off by the dragon because Uthur fought with the blade. The great dragon tells Merlin to put the sword where no mortal can wield it, so Merlin casts the sword into the lake of Avalon."**

"If he threw it into the lake of Avalon how did it end up in the stone?" Percival asks.

Taliesin smiles. "That is a story for another time."

Gwaine gets to his feet from where he was sitting. "Well, it's time for me to see Merlin."

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"**Our story begins deep in the forest Arthur, Merlin and a couple of knights are out hunting. Spotting something through the trees, Merlin is sent forward to see what it is. It is a unicorn, after Arthur shots it, Merlin tries to comfort the unicorn as it dies, looking up he sees an old man dresses in robes appear behind Arthur and knows nothing good is going to come of this."**

"I remember Merlin was quite upset about that," Gwen mutters. "Why was that?"

"Merlin, is a creature of magic, the same as a dragon. So they are kin, Merlin may not have known that at the time, but he felt the creature pain as his own. He felt the balance in magic change."

"So if I was to go out and kill a dragon or any other type of creature of magic, Merlin would feel its pain?" Percival asks.

Taliesin nodes. "He would."

Elyan shivers. "I wouldn't want to be Merlin…. The unicorn why did it not run from Merlin. I have always been told they are shy animals."

"Merlin and the unicorn are kin, the unicorn could sense Merlin and wished to meet him." Taliesin explained. "Creatures of magic are drawn to each other. The griffin that went after Merlin in the wood, it should have killed him before Lancelot helped him. If Lancelot hadn't appeared Merlin would have lived, because creatures of magic do not kill each other, unless they have no other choice."

"**Back in Camelot Arthur presents the horn of the unicorn to his father. But Gaius does not seem pleased and tells of a legend of misfortune will befall anyone who kills a unicorn, Merlin and Gaius both know there is truth within every legend and share a worried glance. Not long after Merlin and Gaius talk, Gaius tells Merlin that unicorns are rare and are not seen often. Not long after Merlin watches out the window as Arthur gives him a list of chores to do and tells him to find the rat that had made its home in his quarters. Suddenly a guard burst through the door and tells Arthur the king wants to see him right away."**

Tristan sighs. "Let me guess this was when Camelot's famine started."

Gwen nodes. "How did you know?"

"We started smuggling not long after it happened. You see our crop died, we used to sell what we grew to pay our taxes. With all the food rotten we could not pay the taxes and were forced from our home." Isolde answers.

Percival nodes. "So how is it you know so much about swords?"

Tristan smiles slightly. "I was a noble man, but then I met Isolde. I was told I could not marry her because she was the daughter of a farmer. So we run away together."

Elyan smiles. "Finally a secret Merlin doesn't know."

Tristan shakes his head. "Merlin knows, I am sure of it. Me and Merlin have met before, at first I did not believe it was him. I just thought he was someone who looked like him, why did you think I helped him? I am an outlaw, I wouldn't help just anyone."

"How do you and Merlin know each other?" Leon asks.

"That is a story for another time." Isolde smiles.

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"**Out in the fields all the crops had died and gone rotten. Uthur tells Arthur it is the same throughout the whole kingdom. Back in Camelot Merlin and Gaius are trying to work out what is causing the crops to die, they work out it is only killing plants that humans can eat. Merlin thinks it is magic, but Gaius informs him they cannot know for sure and they cannot tell the king until they know for sure. Arthur and Uthur check the gain supply but there is not much left, Uthur announces looters will be executed and no one is aloud out there homes after dark. Elsewhere Gwen is collecting water from the well as Merlin walks past. They two of them talk, before Merlin heads back towards the castle. Suddenly Gwen screams as only sand comes out the well. Arthur, Gaius and Uthur stand around the well and Gaius tells Uthur it might be sorcerer. Back in his room Merlin tries to turn the water back to sand but it is of no use, his power isn't strong enough."**

"I thought Merlin was the most powerful warlock alive." Percival mutters.

"He is, but his powers are still not fully developed," Taliesin answers. "You could be the greatest swordsman ever, but when you first use your sword you are no better than any other man. Merlin at that stage had only just started to learn spells and explore the full power his magic had to offer. If you asked him to do that spell now, he would be able to do it."

"How great are Merlin's powers?" Leon asks.

"It is said there is no limit to what his powers can archive."

Elyan glances around. "How can he cope with knowing he has that much power?"

"He doesn't."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asks.

"Merlin has trouble dealing with the knowledge of what his powers can do. He is always scared that he will turn evil, he believes himself to be a monster even now. He can trust no one, not matter how much he wants to. If he trusts the wrong person, he could he killed. The only person in Camelot who knows of Merlin power is Gaius. He has one person he can turn to. You when you have a problem can talk to each other and help each other. Gaius cannot even help most of the time, he does not have the power too."

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"**Later that night Arthur was giving orders to the guard, as he returns to the castle he sees Merlin walking across the court yard. Not long after that the two of them follow a hooded man into the catacombs below the city. He tells them that he is Anhora keeper of the unicorns, he tells Arthur if he passes the tests the curse will be lifted, if he fails the people will suffer. But Arthur doesn't believe him.**

"**The following morning Merlin tells Gaius about what Anhora said and that he believes it to be true. Knowing the only way they can break the curse is by Arthur passing the tests, Merlin must convince Arthur what Anhora said was true. Later that day Merlin tries to convince Arthur what Anhora said was true, but Arthur still doesn't believe him. And Arthur tells him he is a fool for believing a word a sorcerer has spoken and he should never trust a sorcerer."**

"I'm sure Merlin loved being told that." Tristan mutters.

Gwen smiles sadly. "Even I have spoken badly of sorcerer while speaking with Merlin. Think how bad it must make him feel."

"But you cannot trust a word sorcerers say," Arthur growls. "Look at Merlin he has lied to us time and time again."

"He has lied about one thing Arthur, well one subject," Elyan replies. "He has told you the truth about everything else."

Percival and Leon node in agreement.

"But he still lied. How do we not know all of this is fake? Just so we trust Merlin and let magic back into the kingdom, so he can destroy us."

"Merlin does not need magic to be returned," Taliesin explains before anyone can answer. "Merlin has created a kingdom of his own, where all with or without magic are safe. Merlin is after all king."

"What?" Leon exclaims.

"Merlin is king of the druids and all those with magic who have not sided with Morgana have sworn alliance to Merlin, even those who have sided with her have turned their backs on her and joined Merlin…. Even before you knew about his magic he controlled an army of sorcerers who have enough power to take over every kingdom in this land in one day. Merlin is your most powerful ally, he does not need to gain your trust to destroy you, he doesn't even need to be in the same kingdom. Everything you have seen is true and everything you will see is true."

Arthur signs. "But you would say that, you have obviously sworn alliance to him."

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"**Later that night Merlin sits on watch as Arthur and himself wait to see if they can catch Anhora. They follow a man into the grain store and find him stealing. Arthur lets him go and gives him a bag of grain, the man tells him this will bring its own rewards. The following day the sand chambers back into water. Later that day Merlin explains to Arthur that he has passed the first test, so the water has been returned. Merlin suggests that they seek Anhora out. While Merlin looks for some food for Arthur, Arthur is down in the court yard with Morgana. After Arthur leaves, Gwen appears with some food she had stolen from the kitchens."**

Elyan looks at his sister. "Stealing Gwen? What would father say?"

Gwen half smiles. "It was the only way I could help the people."

Leon grins. "Quite brave, if you had been caught you would have been executed."

Percival nodes. "It seems since Merlin came to Camelot he has given everyone the strength to do what they believe is right, damn the consequences."

Isolde smiles. "He even gave that strength to Arthur. Before he meet Merlin, I'm sure he wouldn't have risked his life for a servant."

"**Later that day Merlin convince Arthur to eat rat strew before they set out to try and find Anhora in the woods. In the wood Arthur fails his second test, when the two of them return to Camelot all the remaining grain has rotted. Later that day Uthur tells Arthur that they are to stop giving out the grain they have left, but Arthur tells him he will have to give that order himself. Not long after Arthur and Merlin stand watching the people in the court yard and Arthur tells him what his father palms to do."**

"Why did you father do that?" Percival asks.

"He feared we would be attacked when other kingdoms learnt about how weak we were, he was saving the food for the army."

"Why not ask for other kingdoms for help? I mean you have many allies." Elyan asks.

"My father feared they would turn against him."

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"**Knowing Arthur has lost all hope Merlin goes back out into the wood and finds Anhora and asks him to give Arthur a second chance. Anhora seeing how much Merlin cared agrees and tells him Arthur must travel to the labyrinth of Gedref. So Arthur sets out to the labyrinth and Merlin follows him. At the labyrinth Arthur passes the final test, by proving he was willing to sacrifice his life for Merlin and so the curse was lifted. When Arthur and Merlin return to Camelot all the crops have regrown, so Merlin and Arthur travel back to the forest once more and bury the unicorn's horn as a way of saying sorry for killing it. As they do so the unicorn returns to life."**

"Merlin truly is quite something," Leon mutters. "I don't know many people who would go out of their way to find a sorcerer for the sake of a Pendragon."

Everyone glances at Arthur.

"It's not like Anhora would have killed him, they were both sorcerers!" Arthur growls. "This was probably a plan they came up with together."

"If that was so, why would they have let you stop it? Why would Merlin go out of his way to find a him? Who at the time had more skill in the use of magic and could have killed him." Gwen answers. "Just because Merlin didn't tell you the truth doesn't mean he is evil. He trusts you with his life."

"If Merlin is as evil as you fool yourself into believing he is, he would have destroyed this kingdom years ago." Elyan agrees.

"Do not speak to me like that," Arthur yells. "I am your king!"

"Now you are starting to sound like Uthur." Percival mutters.

Taliesin looks at Arthur. "You are looking for someone to blame, because the man who caused all this is no longer alive. Uthur made a great mistake when he turned against magic, but do not blame Merlin for lying to you. If he had told you, you only had to make one slip up and Uthur found out, he would be burnt at the stake. Merlin did not want you to choose between him and your father."

Arthur sighs. "But he lied to me."

"And if he hadn't he would be dead today, he would have died years ago. Merlin was waiting for the perfect time to tell you. He knew that the fate of all those with magic rested on that moment and if he told you at the wrong time all his work would be for nothing. Merlin chose to save Isolde and by doing so could have doomed all those with magic and have to live with fear for ever more. This is our way of trying to show you the truth in hope you will not make the same mistake as your father."

**Hey thanks for the reviews, hope you like this chapter. I know Arthur seems a little evil in this one, but he's just found out his father and Merlin both lied to him about his mother and is looking for someone to blame aka Merlin (because he's the only one still alive, it's hard to blame a dead man.) So hopeful in the next couple of chapters Arthur will calm down a bit and understand why Merlin lied like he did,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirteen: The perilous lands?

Gaius and Hunith had a long night, Merlin had been bought back by Kilgharrah and passed out before he even made it into the tower. Daegal had explained what had happened and was currently sharing a room with Gilli. Alator and some other members of the Catha had stopped by, Alice had even forced herself to come and see him, despite the pain it caused her, her injuries may have been healed but the pain would stay for a couple of days. Hunith had nearly had a break down, her son looked so pale, he almost looked dead.

Gaius had been quite shocked, how he had survived and been able to walk after such a fall was nothing sort of a miracle. Not long after that the druids had arrived to heal him, many were angry that Morgana would act in such a way. By pushing him of a cliff she gave him no chance of fighting back. Not long after he had been completely healed Taliesin arrived along with Grettir. Taliesin explained that Gwaine was having some trouble, the death of Will had seemed to hit him hard, even if he didn't know him.

Grettir had told them magic would need a friend, he was losing hope, after being attacked by a patrol from Camelot his faith in Arthur was failing, he needed strength and strength needed him. So Taliesin agreed that he would bring Gwaine here tomorrow so the two of them could talk. Gaius knew Gwaine had some secrets that only Merlin knew, it was about time Merlin shared his.

Well after Taliesin had finished telling them everything, Merlin wouldn't have many secrets left that they didn't know and Merlin would most likely not be pleased, he had got used to the fact secrets kept him alive and kept him safe, even though he hated lying to them. Gaius sighs as he leaves Merlin's room, Hunith had gone to bed a couple of hours ago after Alice had convinced her to get some sleep. It was only a couple of hours before dawn, Merlin's slight fever had gone and his skin wasn't as pale, he would wake up soon and Gwaine would be there to greet him.

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Gwaine sat down on the stool beside Merlin's bed. He hadn't had the chance to even look around the tower, Taliesin had bought him here, where he was handed over to the little man from the bridge to the perilous lands. Gwaine had some fond memories of that quest over a year ago, he wasn't so pleased about his sword being turned into a flower though. He should have guessed Merlin had magic when his sword had been transformed Merlin hadn't been the slightest bit surprised and that fire when he and Arthur had a fight, things always happened around Merlin.

Gwaine sighed, seeing what happened to Will yesterday had really hit home with him. His father had been killed in battle and he and his mother were left penniless, the only difference was Gwaine had left. He had run away from home after he and his mother had a fight and he hadn't gone back since, he hadn't heard heads or tails of her either. After a couple of hours just sitting there, Merlin groans and opens his eyes.

"It's about time you woke up, mate!" Gwaine grins.

Merlin bolts up right and looks at Gwaine. "That hit to the head I got yesterday must have done some real damage…. I'm hallucinating Gwaine, of all people."

Gwaine's grin gets even bigger. "It's good to see you too."

Merlin laughs. "What are you doing here?"

"Gaius and some magical friends of your thought it would be good for you to see a friend after your trip down a cliff."

Merlin raises an eyebrow. "And they chose you, why?"

Gwaine fakes looking hurt. "I resent that."

Merlin grins and quickly grabs a cup of water off the side. "So you really are just here for a social call?" He asks, taking a drink of water.

Gwaine nodes. "I wish I was here to stay, Camelot won't be half as fun without you."

Merlin grins. "You are always welcome here."

"Where is here? I have travelled almost everywhere, but I have never been to a place like this before, from what I have seen of it, anyway."

"You have been here before," Merlin smiles. "I'll give you a tour, then maybe you will recognise it."

"Can't wait." Gwaine grins.

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Merlin leads the way to the top of the tower where the two of them step out onto the battlements, Merlin looks over the wall at the ground far below and Gwaine just takes in the view.

"I have most definitely never been to a land like this before." Gwaine mutters.

"Yes you have, only last time it didn't have taverns."

Gwaine stares at Merlin. "This is the perilous lands?"

Merlin nodes. "Not so perilous anymore, are they?"

Gwaine laughs. "What happened? Last time we were here, it was nothing more than a waste land."

"Well after Alator kidnapped me from Camelot he bought me here. Then Grettir told me it was my job to restore these lands, so I did."

"Your magic did all this?"

"Yeah," Merlin nodes. "Hard to believe isn't it? Oh we also took care of that large pheasant problem, too."

Gwaine laughs and looks around. "Arthur would never think to look here."

Merlin sighs. "Well I hope he doesn't. I finally have a place where I can be who I am, with out fear of being killed."

Gwaine sighs. "While we are talking about Arthur…. He found out the truth about his birth."

Merlin looks up. "Who told him? Gaius swore an oath never to tell."

"It was Taliesin, I believe."

Merlin rolls his eyes. "I bet he hates me for it, but I couldn't let him kill his father."

Gwaine nodes. "He will see reason, when he calms down."

Merlin laughs. "Arthur really does have a bad temper."

Gwaine nodes. "Tell me about it. Everyone else has accepted the fact you have magic. Gwen worked out it was you who healed her father that time, that was enough to convince Elyan you were not evil. Percival didn't really mind, he worked out it was you who kept dropping branches on bandits. Leon didn't know what to do at first, I think he was stuck between believing you as a friend and being loyal to his king. Tristan and Isolde are both thankful."

"They would be, it is not the first time we have meet. When I was sixteen, I went with my mother to a village. My mother had been called to help a women who was sick, it was Isolde. I used magic to heal her, which was surprising being I've never been that good at healing magic. When we first meet in the woods, when me and Arthur were fleeing I did not recognise them. But then in the hall back in Camelot it suddenly clicked."

"Is there anyone you don't know Merlin?"

Merlin laughs. "I know a lot of people…. There is something troubling you Gwaine, what is it?"

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Gwaine sat down on a wall Merlin beside him, in front of them was the training field and was completely empty.

"So do you want to talk about it?" Merlin asks.

Gwaine looks at the ground. "Not really…. But I'll tell you."

Merlin glances at Gwaine, his usual smile was gone. Ever since Merlin had woken up, he could Gwaine was faking his smile. The usual mischievous glint in his eye was gone too.

Finally Gwaine starts talking. "I was shown by Taliesin, the death of your friend, Will, I couldn't help but notice he was a lot like me."

Merlin nodes. "He was in many ways."

Gwaine sighs. "It got me thinking about my mother….. I never really told you about her."

Merlin shakes his head. "You don't have to, if you don't want to."

"No," Gwaine mutters. "I want to tell you, you are my best friend and first friend, after all."

Merlin shakes his head. "No Gwaine, you are not my best friend," Merlin places a hand on Gwaine shoulder. "You are my brother…. That really annoying older brother, he can be over protective at times and always relies on me to get him out of trouble."

Gwaine laughs a true laugh. "Yeah, and your that little brother who acts all weak and scared, when truly they are the strongest and the bravest of us all, and is always up to help me with the odd prank."

Merlin grins. "Yeah, allow the odd prank really does get us into trouble and a lot of trouble."

They sit in silence for a moment.

Gwaine sighs. "After my father died, me and my mother were left with nothing. At first it was okay, we survived and then I started getting drunk, me and my mother had a fight. I left that night and never went back. I went from places to place for years and then one day at a tavern I meet you and Arthur. You know what happened after that."

Merlin nodes. "Have you heard from your mother at all?"

Gwaine shakes his head. "I am a coward, I never went back or bothered to even ask after her."

Merlin looks at Gwaine. "You are no coward, Gwaine. You risked your life to help us when we needed it. Your mother will understand why you did what you did and she will forgive you, if you just talk to her. I was furious when I found out my father was alive and my mother hadn't even tell me his name, but I forgave her. Blood is thicker than water after all, she'll be proud of you no matter what you do."

"But what if it is too late. I left her on her own, anything could have happened."

"Well there is only one way to find out…. We look for her."

Gwaine shakes his head. "I cannot meet her, not after I left her like that."

Merlin sighs. "Write a letter then and I will take it to her, this is the only way you are going to overcome the guilt you feel. You must make peace with your family."

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Merlin looked around the crystal cave, Gwaine stood beside him. Once Merlin left Gwaine would speak with Taliesin and then head back to Camelot, well that was what Merlin thought he was going to do. No one had told Merlin that Taliesin was actually telling everyone about his adventures, Gaius was saying his good byes to Alice and would be arriving here soon. Gwaine had a letter in his hand, which he kept opening and reading over and over again. Merlin beside him sighed.

"If you keep doing that, you will just wear through the paper and there will be no letter for your mother to read."

Gwaine glances at Merlin. "Are you sure she'll want it?"

"Yes, Gwaine, I'm sure she will. You are her only son, whatever you have done, I'm sure she will forgive you." Merlin answers.

Gwaine sighs. "You never did tell me about your father."

Merlin half smiles. "There is not much to tell. He was once friends with Uthur Pendragon, once the great purge started, he fled. He meet my mother and they fell in love, before he knew my mother was pregnant Uthur started hunting him down, he was forced to flee to protect my mother. A while ago me and Arthur went looking for him. I only knew him for two days, then he took a sword for me and died in my arms. He was a great man and he could have taught me a lot."

"Who was he?"

"He was the last dragon lord."

Gwaine looks at Merlin. "Does that make you a dragon lord, then?"

Merlin smiles. "I couldn't possibly say."

"Oh come on Merlin, tell me?"

Merlin just nodes. "I become the last dragon lord when my father died."

"That means Arthur didn't kill the dragon, you did! Arthur is going to be so pleased when he finds that out."

"Well…."

"It's not like you didn't kill the dragon or anything."

"No comment."

Gwaine grins. "You didn't kill it did you?"

"No comment."

"The dragon egg?"

"No comment."

"Only you, Merlin, only you."

Merlin grins. "Now give me that letter, before you destroy it."

Gwaine hands Merlin the letter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Gwaine!" Merlin sighs. "I understand why you are worried, she is your mother. I'm sure she'll want to hear from you."

Gwaine smiles slightly. "You are truly the best brother someone could have, magic man."

"That's my new nick name, isn't it?"

"Yep, now I just have to come up with some for the others."

Merlin shakes his head. "I bet they can't wait?"

Gwaine grins. "I know, I'm just that awesome."

Merlin raises an eyebrow. "You starting to sound like Arthur, he's a self-centred prat too."

"What did you just say?" Gwaine asks in mock horror.

"Why, you got ale in your ears?" Merlin asks.

Gwaine stares at Merlin, he had heard that before. "You're Dragoon!"

Merlin grins. "I couldn't possibly say."

Before Gwaine has a chance to say anything Gaius appears, with Taliesin.

"Well it's time for me to go." Merlin grins. "I'll see you soon, Gwaine." The two of them share a one armed hug and Gwaine promises he will get revenge for Merlin knocking him out. Merlin quickly gives Gaius a hug and leaves in a flash of light.

**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. Gwaine has learnt a lot about Merlin, but mot in great detail. I also wanted to focus on the Gwaine/Merlin friendship, they are like brother and Merlin always seems a lot happier around Gwaine in the episodes. I don't know a lot about Gwaine mother, so it could be wrong. Does anyone know the name of Gwaine mother? Well next up is the Le Morte d'Arthur. If anyone has any ideals for other nicknames please say,**

**Blessed be.**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fourteen: Le Morte d'arthur.

Arthur and the other watched as Merlin and Gwaine appeared in the cave, chatting away, while Gwaine played with a piece of paper. The two of them grinned and laughed, but no knew what they were saying, the shield Taliesin had used this time meant they could hear nothing being spoken on the other side. Arthur couldn't help but feel slightly jealous, even if he hadn't forgiven Merlin yet. Not long after Gaius and Taliesin appeared Merlin left not long after. Once Merlin was gone, the shield was removed and everyone moved back in to the centre of the cave. Gaius smiled as Gwen greeted him in a hug.

"How is Alice?" Isolde asked.

Gaius smiles. "She is fine, if Merlin had saved her only a couple second later, too much smoke would have entered her lungs and she wouldn't have survived."

"So from what we have seen, Merlin has a habit of saving people." Tristan mutters.

"Merlin would risk his life to help a stranger," Gaius mutters. "He is just one of those people. I have heard it said his kindness will be his downfall, I can't help but agree. His kindness knows no bounds."

Taliesin clears his throat. "We must get on with our next story, you still have much to see. Your friend Merlin is soon to be caught up in a war, the likes of which this realm has never seen before. He can not be derived between who he is fighting for, he must have your trust if he is to lead his people to victory on the plans of Camlann. The battle will start soon, Merlin and his people are all who stand between the golden age and a new age of darkness."

Everyone is slightly taken back by that dark speech, but they quickly get over it and take their seats. A screen appears and the adventure starts.

"**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rest on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin."**

**Arthur, Merlin and a large group of knights make their way through the trees as they hunt.**

"**Merlin, spear." Arthur commands.**

**Merlin goes to pass him the spear, but it hits a tree and falls to the ground. Arthur quickly grabs it.**

"**Do you have any natural gifts, Merlin?" he asks annoyed.**

"**No," Merlin answers. "Let me think. I'm not naturally rude or insensitive."**

"**Just naturally irritating."**

**The group edge forward and a roar echo's through the trees. Everyone stops. Arthur turns and looks at Merlin and rolls his eyes.**

"**It's probably more scared of you, than you are of it." He sighs. As Arthur gives orders to the other knights, a mighty beast leaps through the trees. Everyone runs. As Merlin is running he trips, Arthur and a knight quickly rush to help him. Behind them the screams of the knight who saved Merlin echo through the woods.**

"Well it looks like when Merlin is afraid we should all be afraid." Elyan mutters with a shiver.

Gwaine nodes. "That thing was a creature of nightmares."

Leon glances around the cave. "What was it?"

"A questing beast." Gaius answers. "One bite from such a creature is fatal."

"But I was bitten." Arthur mutters. "I'm still alive."

"Not all of us have friends who have the power over life and death." Tristan half smiles. "It wouldn't surprise me, if Merlin used the same spell he did for Isolde."

**Back in Camelot Gaius explains to the king that the creature was a questing beast. Uthur orders Arthur to kill the creature and pays no heed to Gaius's warnings.**

"**This is no ordinary beast Merlin," Gaius warns, later back in his chamber as Merlin tests the balance of the sword in his hand. **

"**Don't worry."**

"**No, listen to me, you don't understand. Uthur may not respect the old religion, but it is very real. To face such a beast as this, you must understand where it came from." Gaius explains holding out a book. **

"**What do you mean?"**

"**At the heart of the old religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The questing beast carries that power. One bite you die. And there is no cure."**

Arthur looks at Gaius. "But you found a cure."

Gaius shakes his head. "I did not, Merlin did. I can tell you no more than that. You must watch to truly understand.

**That same night Morgana had a dream. Gwen quickly goes to her aid.**

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**The following morning Arthur prepares the knight and guard to ride out and kill the creature Merlin stands with him. Just before they are about to leave Morgana comes running down the steps and begs Arthur not to go telling him he will die if he does. Arthur orders Merlin to take her back inside. Merlin promises to keep Arthur safe. **

**Later in the wood, the large group approach a cave, after they find the questing beasts tracks. And so the group enter the cave and split up into groups leaving Arthur and Merlin on their own. They finally come out in a cavern full of bones, off to one side is a hissing noise.**

"**What is it?" Merlin asks.**

"**Shhhh!" Arthur orders.**

**Behind them is a roar and the two of them spin round. Whilst their backs are turned the questing beast creeps out of the shadows, the two of them turn round and come face to face with the creature. Arthur shoves Merlin back and swings his sword at the creature but gets hit and thrown backwards onto the ground. Merlin yells and waves his torch to get the creature attention, before using magic and sending the sword into the creature's neck. As the creature falls dead Merlin rushes over to Arthur.**

"**It didn't bite you," Merlin mutters. "It didn't." he pulls his hand away from Arthur's shoulder to find it covered in blood. "Arthur!" Merlin yells. "Somebody help me."**

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "That looked painful." She mutters.

Arthur half smiles. "It was."

Gwaine glances round. "Do you think Merlin knocks out Arthur on purpose? I know you are always saying he gets knocked out in battle. It would be Merlin's perfect chance to use magic."

Leon shakes his head. "Merlin uses magic when we are all awake, he just hides."

Elyan glances at the dead questing beast. "A nice clean kill though, that creature wasn't in pain for long."

Percival nodes. "Do you think there is anything Merlin can't kill?"

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**Back in Camelot, Merlin tries to use magic to cure Arthur but nothing he tries works. Soon after the king enters.**

"See Arthur," Gwen mutters. "He tried to save you because you are his friend."

Arthur glances at the screen. "He still lied to me."

**Uthur hurries to his son's side, luckily not noticing the spell book Merlin had left lying on the table. The king half crying carries Arthur from Gaius's chamber, he makes it half way across the court yard before he brakes down in tears and some guards rush forward to help. Merlin and Morgana both watch as Arthur is carried away. **

"Your father truly loved you Arthur, more than anything else in the world." Gaius mutters, watching his old friend sadly. "He would have given anything up to save you."

Arthur looks at Gaius. "Then why did he lie about my mother?"

"He could not live with the fact you might have hated him," Gaius answers. "Look what you did when you found out."

Arthur looks at the ground. "I would have killed him, if it wasn't for Merlin stopping me."

**Merlin knows he has to do something. So he goes to see the great dragon, who just happens to be watching for him.**

"**I have failed Arthur," Merlin explains. "Failed in my destiny."**

"**And yet you would not be here if that were true."**

"**He was bitten by the questing beast, he's going to die."**

"**Does he still breathe?" The great dragon asks. **

"**Only just." Merlin answers.**

"**Then there is still time to heal him."**

"**I've tried," Merlin replies. "I cannot save him."**

"**You do not know how to save him," The great dragon answers. **

"**You can tell me how?"**

"**Perhaps," the great dragon answers. "It will not be easy."**

"**I will do anything." Merlin answers.**

"**Anything?"**

"**Please, just tell me what I have to do." Merlin begs.**

"**Very well," The great dragon answers. "The questing beast is a creature conjured by the powers of the old religion. You must use the same ancient magic to save him."**

"**The old religion died out centuries ago."**

"**The old religion is the magic of the earth itself. It is the séance that binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men."**

"**But how can that help me save Arthur?"**

"**You must find those who still serve it. Those who hold dominion over life and death."**

"**Where?"**

"**Go to the place men call the isle of the blessed. Where the power of the ancients can still be felt. There you will discover Arthur's salvation." **

"**Thank you." Merlin mutters and turns to leave.**

"**And Merlin," the great dragon calls after him. "The young Pendragon must live, no matter what the cost."**

**Merlin just nodes and leaves.**

"Merlin had been to the isle of the blessed before." Percival mutters. "Does he not know how dangerous that is, even for those with magic the place is feared."

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin had to save Arthur, he was prepared to do whatever it took to save him."

"Merlin truly is brave." Elyan mutters.

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**Merlin arrives back at Gaius's quarters and sets about packing. Gains begs Merlin not to go, but Merlin knows he has to, even if it means giving up his life in return for Arthur's. Arthur's condition is getting worse. The following morning Merlin prepares to leave when Gaius come up to him.**

"**Here," he states giving Merlin a map. "You'll need a map. And I'm going to give you this."**

**Merlin takes it and unwraps it. **

"**My mother gave it to me," Gaius explains. "It's a rabbit's foot."**

"**To keep you safe."**

"**It is said to protect you from evil spirits." Gaius smiles slightly. "Its rubbish I don't believe in superstition. I don't know why I gave it to you." He says reaching for the foot.**

"**No," Merlin exclaims, pulling it out of Gaius reach. "I want it…. Thank you." He mutter putting it in his pocket. "You've got to keep Arthur alive until I get back," Merlin explains as he pulls himself into the saddle of his of his horse, he then quickly leaves the city and Gaius watches him go. Merlin rides through the forest, on his way to the isle of the blessed. **

Gaius smiles slightly. "My boy." He whispered.

Gwen glances at Gaius. "He really is like a son to you, isn't he?"

Gaius nodes. "I had nothing to live for until I meet Merlin. He means the world to me and I would do anything to keep him safe."

Gwaine nodes. "Merlin sees you as a father. When the two of you fall out on the rare occasions, Merlin isn't quite the same."

Percival nodes. "He values you opinion above all others."

**Back in Camelot Uthur sits at his son's side, as Arthur's condition gets worse. Elsewhere Merlin is drawing closer to the isle of the blessed.**

"**You must travel to the place men call the isle of the blessed, beyond the white mountain and through the valley of the fallen kings. To the north of the great seas of Marendor, you will find a lake." The great dragons voice echoes **

**The scene changes back to Arthur where Gwen is present. She tells him he has to live and grips his hand. Outside the court yard is full of people holding candles. Uthur stands at a window watching, while Gaius speaks to him.**

Everyone glances at Arthur and Gwen, who were hugging.

"So that's where the romance began." Gwaine mutters. "I always did wounded how it started."

Arthur smiles at Gwen. "I knew you said that. You're almost as bad as Merlin at lying, most of the time."

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**Merlin reaches the shore of the lake, where there is a small boat waiting. He quickly dismounts and uses a spell to get the boat moving. As the boat makes its way through the city, in finally stops at some steps and Merlin quickly makes his way up them. It brings him out in a court yard with an altar in the middle surrounded by standing stones. Merlin steps into the circle of standing stones.**

"**Hello?" He calls. **

"**Hello Merlin." A voice behind him greets.**

**Merlin spins round to find Nimueh standing next to the altar. The two of them stare at each other for a moment.**

"**You!" Merlin almost growls.**

"**Do you know who I am?" Nimueh asks.**

"**Nimueh." Merlin answers. "You can't be who the dragon meant."**

"**And why is that?"**

"**You tried to kill me." Merlin answers.**

"**Before I understood your importance." Nimueh smirks. **

"**And Arthur."**

"**Arthur was never destined to die at my hand," Nimueh answers. "And now it seems I will be his salvation."**

"**So you know what I have come to ask?"**

"**Yes."**

"**Will you do it?"**

"**I do not have the power to mirror life and get nothing in return."**

"**I know a price will be asked."**

"**To save a life a life must be given. The balance of the world must be restored."**

"**I willingly give my life for Arthur's." Merlin answers. **

"**How brave you are Merlin." Nimueh smirks. "If only it were that simple."**

"**What do you mean?" Merlin asks.**

"**Once you enter this barging, it cannot be undone."**

"**Whatever I have to do, I will do. His life is worth a hundred of mine."**

"**The cup of life," Nimueh explains summoning it from thin air. "Blessed by centres of power sorcerers. So it containers the very secrets of life itself. Of Arthur drinks water from the cup, he will live."**

**Merlin walks forward and takes the cup from Nimueh. Who then summons a storm, as the rain falls it fills the cup with water. Nimueh then takes the cup and pours the water in to a flask.**

"**The barging is stuck." Nimueh smirks as she hands him the flask. "I hope it pleases you."**

**Merlin quickly turns and leaves.**

"What an idiot!" Arthur exclaims. "When I next see that idiot we are going to have a really long talk about him sacrificing his life for me. My life is not worth a hundred of his. He is such an idiot!"

Gwaine smiles. "Since when does Merlin listen to what you tell him?"

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "I'll make it against the law for him to save my life then."

"He's been breaking the law every time he saved your life so far," Percival points out. "I don't think it will make much of a difference."

Leon smiles. "Plus Merlin is still alive, so we know he didn't die."

"That's not the point." Arthur answers.

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**Back in Camelot Merlin returns, he goes straight to Gaius. Who demands to know what price Merlin paid in return for Arthur's life, but Merlin refuses to answer. They quickly take the water to Arthur and force him to drink it. Uthur appears soon after and Gaius lies and tells him he found an old cure in one of his many books. Once Gaius and Merlin leave Uthur stays with Arthur. **

**As Merlin and Gaius leave the royal wing of the castle, Morgana suddenly pulls Merlin into an alcove and warms him of her dream. Later that night Arthur wakes up and is greeted by his father, while Gaius watches on from the shadows. Back in Gaius chamber Merlin waits for news, Gaius informs him that the prince lives. But he then seems to realise this means he's going to die.**

Gwen turns to Gaius. "You suspected that Merlin traded his own life, didn't you?"

Gaius nodes. "I did."

"Merlin really is the most selfless person I know." Elyan mutters.

**Elsewhere in the castle, Gwen seems pleased that Arthur has recovered. Arthur remembers some of the things Gwen told him and teases her about it.**

"Young love." Elyan teases his sister. "So sweet."

**Merlin sits in his room, believing that night would be his last. Outside a mighty storm rages. A haggard, hooded figure makes their way through the gates. And up to Gaius's chamber, where they collapse to the floor. Elsewhere Morgana wakes up from another nightmare. The following morning Merlin wakes up, to find Gaius kneeling over someone near the door. Merlin quickly makes his way over, to find the person is his mother. He promises her he will find a way to heal her.**

"Nimueh is evil." Isolde mutters. "Merlin did not bargain his mother's life."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "The fates must have decided Merlin, must live no matter what the cost."

"I remember that, Merlin was so upset, yet so determined to save his mother," Gwen mutters, turning to Gaius. "What happened you and Merlin disappeared for a couple of days. When you got back Hunith was perfectly healed."

Gaius smiles. "Truth be told I don't know for sure, but you'll find out soon enough."

**So Merlin goes and sees the great dragon. The two of them have an argument and Merlin is forced to use his magic to save himself from the dragon's flames. Merlin promises he will never see the dragon again.**

"That was a bit evil of Merlin to say, don't you think?" Percival asks. "I'll make sure you never see the light again."

Leon shakes his head. "When the dragon escaped, it killed hundreds of people. It also tricked Merlin into giving his mother's life, wouldn't you be mad if someone did that to you?"

"Is it true?" Elyan asks. "Merlin's mother is the only family he has?"

"Yes and no." Gaius answers. "I am Merlin's uncle, but when Merlin was a child, I never meet him, I was never there for him. It was just him and his mother. Merlin meet his father for a couple of days before he died. But at the time Merlin didn't know who his father was or of he was even alive."

Gwaine looks at Gaius. "Did the dragon know who Merlin's father was? I mean they are kin in more ways than one."

"I see Merlin told you about his father then," Gaius mutters. "I don't believe the dragon did. I think the great dragon thought the connection he felt with Merlin was only the fact they were both creatures of the old religion, not what you are talking about."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asks.

"That is a story another time." Gaius answers. "You will find out soon enough, though."

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**After Merlin returns to Gaius quarters he tells Gaius he has to save her. He has to go back to the isles and save his mother's life. If he could not save her his powers would mean nothing. Gaius tells him not to, he is young. But Merlin tells him he had to do this. So Merlin goes to say goodbye to Arthur.**

**Arthur is pouring himself a cup of water, when Merlin walks in.**

"**Arrr," Arthur mutters looking up. "Merlin."**

"**How are you?"**

"**Good."**

"**I'm pleased."**

"**Yes, I owe it all to Gaius."**

"**I need to talk to you."**

"**You still haven't got it yet, have you? I decide when we need to talk."**

"**Not today." Merlin answers.**

"**I sometimes wonder if you know who I am."**

"**Oh, I know who you are." Merlin answers. **

"**Good." Arthur mutters.**

"**You're a part…. And a royal one."**

"**Are you ever going to change, Merlin?" **

"**No you'd get bored." Merlin answers with a slight smile. "Just promise me this, if you get another servant, don't get a boot licker."**

"**If this is you trying to leave your job….."**

"**No," Merlin cuts in. "I'm happy to be your servant…. Until the day I die."**

"**Sometimes I think I know you, Merlin. Other times…." Arthur just shakes his head.**

"**Well, I know you. You are a great warrior. One day you will be a great king."**

"**That's very kind of you."**

"**But you must learn to listen as well as you fight."**

"**Any other pointers?" Arthur asks.**

"**No, that's it…. Just…. Don't be a prat."**

Everyone just turns to look at Arthur.

"How could you not work out something was wrong from that?" Leon asks.

"Yeah," Gwaine adds. "He quite clearly said he was about to die."

Arthur shakes his head. "I don't know, I thought something was wrong. But what could I do? I mean it wasn't like he looked like he was about to drop dead."

Elyan raises an eyebrow. "No wonder you never worked out he had magic, I mean if you couldn't even work out he was saying good bye, there wasn't much hope."

Arthur glares at him. "You never worked out he had magic."

"I'm not his best friend."

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**Merlin goes to see his mother to find Gwen waiting with her. She explains Gaius has gone to get some supplies and asked her to wait with his mother. Merlin sits down beside his mother and the two of them talk. He gives his mother the lucky rabbit's foot. The following morning Merlin finds a note from Gaius, explaining he has gone to the isle of the blessed to save his mother. Merlin sets out straight away, but Gaius is much further ahead than Merlin. As Merlin sets out, Morgana watches him go. At the isle, Gaius asks to trade places with Hunith and Nimueh agrees.**

"You really do love him." Gwen mutters.

"I do," Gaius answers. "But I fear there are things I have done which Merlin will never forgive me for."

Elyan looks at Gaius. "What do you mean?"

Gaius just shakes his head. "You'll see."

**Merlin arrives at the isle but it is too late.**

"**Stop!" Merlin yells.**

"**Back again, warlock." Nimueh smirks walking towards him.**

"**What have you done?" **

"**Your mother is safe," Nimueh answers. "Isn't that what you wanted?"**

"**Have you killed him?"**

"**It was his wish."**

"**I bargained my life for Arthur's. Not my mothers. Not Gaius's."**

"**The old religion does not care who lives and who dies. Only that the balance of the world is restored. To save a life a life must be taken. Gaius knew this."**

"**It is not the old religion that has done this, it is you."**

"**Come now," Nimueh smirks. "We are go valuable to each other to be enemies."**

"**No," Merlin yells. "I share nothing with you."**

"**With my help Arthur will become king."**

"**I will make Arthur king." Merlin answers. "But you will never see that day."**

**Merlin throws a stream of fire at her, but she defects it. She throws a fire ball back at Merlin, who drives out the way. It crashes in to the wall behind him and sends prices of wall flying. As Merlin gets to his feet, Nimueh creates a second fire ball.**

"**You too are a creature of the old religion, you should join me."**

"**You think I would join forces with such a selfish and cruel magic…. Never." Merlin answers.**

"**So be it." Nimueh smirks.**

**Nimueh throws the second fire ball and it hits Merlin in the chest, sending him backwards into the ground. Merlin groans in pain and Nimueh walks forward. **

"**Pity," she mutters. "Together we could have ruled the world."**

**As she walks away, Merlin's eyes snap open and he gets to his feet. "You should not have killed by friend." He mutters darkly. **

**Nimueh turns around and Merlin throws his hand skyward. The sky clouds over and it starts to rain lightning flashes and Nimueh looks up. Merlin moves his hand so he is pointing at Nimueh and she is struck by lightning and blasted into many pieces. Merlin runs over to Gaius and falls to the ground beside him.**

"**Gaius," Merlin cries. "Gaius….. No," Merlin screams at the sky. "No!"**

**He cries into Gaius shoulder.**

"**Merlin?" Gaius mutters weakly. "Merlin?"**

"**Gaius? Gaius!" Merlin grins. "Gaius! You're alive!" he pulls Gaius into a hug and then sits back.**

"**What did you do?" Gaius asks.**

"**Nimueh's dead." Merlin answers. "The balance of the world has been restored."**

"**You amaze me," Gaius mutters. "You mastered the power over life and death it's self…. We'll make a great warlock of you yet."**

"**So you believe in me now?" Merlin asks.**

"**Well, I would…. If, if you could…. Could stop this blasted rain."**

**The two of them sit there laughing. "Merlin! No!" the dragons voice echo's from the caves below Camelot. As Morgana wakes up from another dream.**

"Merlin mastered the power over life and death pretty quickly." Tristan mutters.

Gaius nodes. "He truly is one of a kind."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "How did he survive that fire ball? We all saw what it did to the wall."

Gaius shrugs. "I guess his magic protected him. But the burn I treated when we got back to Camelot was quite bad."

Gwaine looks at the screen. "I have seen the scars he has. How could he keep them all hidden from us. I mean many he said he got whilst out on quests with us. How did we not notice him getting injured."

"Merlin is good at hiding his pain," Gaius answers. "Some of the injuries he has, no human would survive. So he keeps it hidden."

Gwen nodes. "Well then," she said turning on Arthur and the knights. "Next time you are all out on a quest with Merlin, you check him for injuries too."

Everyone quickly nodes and agrees.

**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. So that is series one complete, so on to series two. Does anyone know the name of Gwaine's mother?**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997**


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Chapter fourteen: Merlin Emrys, king of the druids.

Merlin stood looking out of the window in his room in the tower. Behind him, his room was very much like Gaius's back in Camelot. The walls were lined with magic books, herbs and crystals hung from the ceiling and his work benches were covered in half finished projects. He had only had the room for less than a day, no wonder Gaius was always saying most of the mess belonged to him.

Up the back of the room were a couple of steps leading to his bedroom, close to them were a set of steps leading out on to a balcony. He really was beginning to feel at home here, but he missed his friends and he missed Camelot. Standing against the wall near the door, were two staffs. One was the staff of Emrys. In Merlin's hand was a letter from Avalon, he had a job to do. But that job could wait until things had calmed down, he couldn't keep entering Camelot every time he had a job to do.

One day he might be followed back here, he defiantly didn't need Camelot declaring war on his new home. Plus it wouldn't be long until king Sarrum found out about this land, he hatred for sorcerer was well known and many feared him much like they feared Uthur. Merlin had already been told by Alator that he needed to form alliance's with as many kingdoms as he could, the first he was to speak to was queen Annis.

Merlin rolled his eyes and moved away from the window and sat at one of his work benches. Around him were piles of magic books, homework for missing most of his lessons today. It really wasn't fair he hadn't chosen to miss them, well he sort of had when he decided to show Gwaine around, but still it was unfair. It had seemed the head of each magical group had taken him as their apprentice and he had no say in the matter.

Alator had even ordered that Merlin learn dark magic, he was not pleased. Alator had said he must learn all arts and no magic was truly dark. You could rise an army of the dead to kill everyone and it would be evil; but you could also rise it to protect a defenceless village against raiders. But Alator had warned him that some magic could be used for dark things, such as necromancy. Merlin knew a bit about necromancy, he had been forced to learn about it when Lancelot was bought back as a shade. Blood magic was also evil, but he had to learn about them. If he was to be able to counter-spell them and defended him self, he had to know what he was up against.

Merlin picked up his first book: 'The complete guide to healing magic'. Merlin had never before seen a book so thick, it weighed a ton too. No doubt Gaius and Alice had given him this book, after all it was the subject Merlin was weakest in. The best he could do was heal broken bones and cure people who had been poisoned, but flesh wounds…. Merlin could only just about heal them if they were on someone else, but even then he had, had trouble healing Arthur in the past.

Merlin opened the book, a small inscription was at the top: 'Merlin, because you are hopeless at healing magic and I had always hoped you would take an interest in my line of work, Gaius. A gift to say thank you for saving me from the flames, we'll make a physician from you yet, Alice.' Merlin smiled and opened it to his first lesson. After a couple of hours reading and studying Merlin rests his head on the table, his head felt like it would explode with the level of new information he had just learnt. Healing magic truly was complicated. With a sigh he starts the next lesson.

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Merlin walked through the court yard, trying to clear his head. He felt ready to give up on healing magic. Why you needed different spells for wounds inflicted by different weapons he didn't know. If you got shoot by an arrow that came from a cross bow you had to use one spell, but if it came from a long bow you had to use a different spell. They were both arrows! What did it matter if they came from different weapons? Merlin sighs, Gaius was also forcing him to learn normal healing too. Truth be told Merlin knew most of it already, he had lived with Gaius for years and time and time again he had been forced to learn it, to treat his own wounds.

'_Emrys.' _A voice greets him, in his head.

Merlin spins round, but can see no druids. _'Where are you?'_

'_We are near the entrance to the tower courtyard. You must come quickly, Emrys, we have an important matter to speak about.'_

"_Okay, I'm on my way.'_

Merlin quickly made his way through the courtyard towards where the druids said they would meet him. He finds them standing near the gate, all the druids elders were present.

"Emrys." The one who had called him greeted.

"Iseldir." Merlin answers. "You wished to speak with me?"

"I do." Iseldir answers. "For you, Merlin Emrys, are the king of the druids."

"What?" Merlin asks.

"You are our king." Iseldir answers. "All here with me today are the elders of each of the druid orders. You are our king and now it is time all the world knows that. Before we could not tell you, for fear Uthur would find out, he had been hunting for you even if you didn't know it was you. It is time you take your crown and place as our leader."

Merlin shakes his head. "I don't know the first thing about ruling people."

Iseldir smiles. "You know more than enough, my lord. You are wise and merciful, we could not ask for a better leader."

Merlin looks at Iseldir and the other elders. "I have no choice do I."

"That you do not, Emrys. You will be our king even if you refuse the crown."

Merlin sighs. "Let's just get this over with. I guess it can't be all bad, right?"

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Merlin knelt on the ground, before the throne in the main hall of the tower. Around him many sorcerers and druids stood, all here for the crowning of Merlin Emrys the king of the druids. Once Merlin was crowned he would have to go to the crystal caves, which really annoyed Merlin. Whenever he entered the cave, he could feel it's power pulling at him, wanting to show him visions.

He would have to sit there until the power of the crystal cave awakened a power Merlin had that was as old as the earth its self. Merlin was a being of pure magic, he was all forms of magic and he had ever gift, even that of a seer if he practiced the seer art. Merlin's cloths were no different to normal, he even had his red scarf. The only difference was his midnight blue cloak had a silver crest on it, the crest of the druids.

"Do you Merlin Emrys, last high priest of the old religion and the triple goddess, swear an oath to the gods to protect and serve your people, from his day forth."

"I swear." Merlin answers.

"Do you, Merlin Emrys, last dragon lord, swear an oath to the gods to show wisdom and kindness in all acts you do, from this day forth."

"I swear."

"Do you, Merlin Emrys, the immortal, swear an oath to the gods to rule this land with justice and mercy and honour in your judgement, from this day forth."

"I swear."

"Then by the power of the gods, I crown thee, Merlin Emrys, king of the druids."

The crown of pure silver was placed on Merlin's head, it was no fancy crown covered in jewels. It had been forged by magic itself. Merlin gets to his feet and turns to face the people in the room, he is handed his staff of white wood and he smiles slightly.

"Long live the king." Everyone yells as one.

Merlin almost laughed at the irony, he was immortal, he would never die.

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**Hey hope you liked that chapter. Hopefully I'll have the next one up soon. Does anyone know the name of the perilous lands? I've only heard it called the land of the fisher king or the perilous lands. So until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter sixteen: The war against sorcery.

Taliesin watched everyone as they sat thinking about all they had just seen. They had just seen all Merlin's main adventures from his first year in Camelot, other stuff had happened but nothing as important as what he had shown them and told them.

Gaius was looking proud, he knew Merlin had killed Nimueh but Merlin had never told him how.

Gwen was slightly shocked, they all knew Merlin had a great power, but she never dreamed it would be that powerful.

Elyan was surprised, if some had come up to him before all this started and said Merlin had magic that powerful he would have laughed and told them not to insult his friend.

Leon was pleased, Merlin had protected Arthur, where no other could, and his loyalty was beyond fault.

Percival had a better understanding, he knew what Lancelot meant now, when he told him of Merlin.

Gwaine was over the moon, Merlin had trusted him enough to tell him about his father and the dragons without having Taliesin show him first and it felt great to know Merlin trusted him as a brother not just a friend.

Isolde was amazed at the power Merlin had at his command, he truly was powerful.

Tristan was mostly awed, Merlin just learnt to control life and death after only a couple of days after learning the power existed.

Arthur was still troubled, he felt betrayed Merlin, his best friend, hadn't trusted him, when he trusted Merlin with everything. But he missed Merlin greatly even if he wouldn't admit it.

"I have a question," Percival asks. "When Merlin defeated Nimueh, he didn't use a spell. Why was that?"

"Merlin is a warlock." Gaius answers. "He does not need spells to do most forms of magic. What you watched Merlin do was elemental, Merlin does not need spells to control the elements or the weather. He only needs spells for magic more complicated than what he has as an instinct."

Percival nodes. "So warlock are born with magic and can practice it from the day they are born?"

Gaius shrugs. "Merlin, is the first to be born like that. Many born with magic cannot use it until they are above five years old. Merlin truly is unique."

"Merlin is king of the druids," Leon speaks up. "So why was he working as a servant? When he should have servants of his own."

"Merlin did not know he was king of the druids, he thought the respect they showed him was only due to his destiny at the time and the level of magic he had." Taliesin answers.

"Does that mean even if Merlin can return to Camelot, that he won't? If he is king he must stay with his people." Gwen asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "Being the king of a kingdom and being king of a religious group are different. Merlin is the leader of his people, not a land. The way you rule over a land, is different to the way you rule over a group of people who could live in different kingdoms, much like the druids did. If Merlin wished he could return to Camelot any time he wished."

Everyone nodes, since they had been in the cave they had seen Merlin, twice. He had quite clearly been in the castle, looking for Gaius. Merlin would return if he wanted even if it was against the law.

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"I am sorry, but you will not learn of Merlin's other adventures today," Taliesin speaks up. "You will be needed back in Camelot shortly. But there is one thing I must show you first….. I'm afraid Gaius will be the only one who can hear what is spoken, due to the fact there is still things you have to learn, but you may watch. You may return tomorrow and we will continue our story."

Arthur nodes. "We will return tomorrow."

Taliesin smiles. "Well then, let us begins."

**Merlin stood leaning against a wall in a wide hallway, watching out the window. He was dressed no different from normal apart from the midnight blue cloak he was wearing, it had a crest none of them had seen before. Merlin sighs and turns so he has his back to the wall and slides to the floor, he puts his head in his hands and shuts his eyes. Along the hall from him Alice and Hunith appear and quickly make their way towards him. Merlin doesn't even bother to look up.**

"**Merlin, are you okay?" Alice asks. While Hunith sits down beside her son.**

"**Yeah," Merlin answers. "I just wish Gaius was here. I could really use his support."**

**Hunith smiles slightly. "Gaius is busy, he has duties in Camelot."**

"**I know," Merlin sighs. "But I still wish he was here."**

**Alice smiles slightly. "I know he would be proud of you, Merlin. You mean the world to him, he'll be disappointed he missed this. But he is court physician, he has a job to do."**

**Hunith quickly gets to her feet and Merlin quickly follows. "Your father would be so proud of you." She whispers kissing Merlin forehead. **

**Merlin smiles. "I wish he was here, too."**

**Hunith smiles. "I know he'll be watching you and the pride he will feel…."**

**Alice smiles. "We will see you later, Merlin, we must take our place in the hall."**

"**Make sure you get a good spot." Merlin grins.**

**Alice and Hunith quickly make their way to the hall, leaving Merlin once again on his own.**

"**Arrr," A voice behind Merlin sounds. "I see you haven't run away yet."**

**Merlin turned to see Gilli and Daegal walking towards him. "Run away?" Merlin asked. "Why would I want to run away?"**

"**Well who would want to be king?" Gilli asked.**

**Merlin rolled his eyes. "Funny."**

**Gilli grins. "In a matter of moments I'll be able to tell everyone, I'm friends with the king of the druids."**

**Merlin shakes his head. "It's not that impressive."**

"**But it is," Daegal answers. "The druids are a powerful people."**

"**I know," Merlin answers. "I just hope I won't let them down."**

**Gilli grins. "You know the difference between wrong and right, Merlin. You will be a good ruler, you do not let people talk you into things and you always look at the big picture."**

"**How did you work that out?"**

"**You stopped me from killing Uthur. If I had killed him, Camelot would have been attacked by its enemies because they would have believed the kingdom to be weak. Plus to kill the king, who was defenceless against magic was wrong. To kill someone in a fight, it must be a fair one. Killing in cold blood only leads to trouble."**

**Merlin sighs. "I guess so."**

**Daegal smiles. "We better be going, I want a place to stand right at the front, it's not every day the king of the druids is crowned."**

**Merlin just shakes his head. "I'll see you later then."**

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**Merlin walked towards the door of the main hall of the tower, but stopped not far from the doors. He still felt nervous, he was about to become king of the druids. An ancient race of people with more knowledge than Merlin could ever dream of having. What if he failed his people? He had failed them in the past, he had stood by and watch them die because he was too scared of what Arthur would do if he ever found out.**

"**You will not fail us, Emrys."**

**Merlin spins round only to come face to face with Iseldir. "How can you be so sure?"**

"**Because you are _Merlin_." Iseldir answers.**

"**What?"**

"**You are not just some all-powerful warlock, you have a heart and you trust it. You rule with your head and your heart and you do what you believe to be right. The fears you have you overcome. You healed Isolde because you could not bear to see the pain it caused her lover. You are wise beyond your years and you risk everything to save the ones you care about. We could not choice a better leader."**

"**But I know nothing about being king."**

"**Ruling over a religious group and over a kingdom are two totally different things, Merlin Emrys. You will do fine, once you have learnt the way of life we have. Much like you rule this land."**

"**I do not," Merlin answers. "We have a council the rules the land and I am part of that council."**

**Iseldir smiles slightly. "It is much the same with the druids, each elder rules their clan, order or cult. But you rule over them, like the head councilman. When we are in trouble we turn to you for help and guidance, we turn to you for protection and to make sure no matter what kingdom we enter we are safe."**

**Merlin smiles. "I think I can do that."**

"**You can do that, Merlin Emrys, because it is in your heart to protect and care for all living things."**

**And so Merlin was crowned king of the druids.**

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Arthur sat on his throne, around him the council had gathered. The knights, Gwen, Gaius, Tristan and Isolde were also present. There had been reports of a couple of sorcerers attacking a Camelot patrol not far from the borders with Queen Annis's lands and a second attack on a village, on the opposite side of kingdom. And many in the city and castle had seen a person in a midnight blue cloak sneaking around and slipping past guards. Arthur sighs, as the first witness is bought forward: the village elder of the village attacked.

"My lord." The man bows.

Arthur nodes. "Tell me what happened."

"Well you see, my lord, it started when we found a witch enchanting someone from our village. She claimed she was healing them, but I know witchcraft when I see it. She tried to burn her, as the law states, but two young sorcerers came out the forest and put out the flames. The one who put out the flames yelled in the devils tongue and his eyes flashed gold. He jumped up and cut the witch down while the second on caught her. Before we could catch them, they vanished in a whirlwind. Our village is lucky it is still standing, the wind wiped up the small flames left from the fire and caught many of our houses. Half our village was burnt down and winds also caused injury to many of our people. I have no doubt that the sorcerer meant us great harm."

"When did this happen?" Arthur asks.

"Two days ago, my lord."

Gaius gasps slightly and Gwen grips his hand, the witch they had tried to burn was no doubt Alice. Arthur glances at Gaius, before turning back to the villager.

"Can you tell me what this sorcerer looked like?"

The villager nodes. "He had black hair, blue eyes, skin as pale as the dead. He had a blue scarf, red top and brown jacket, he wore a cloak of dark blue, it was almost black. But his eyes they flashed with the devils magic, you would never have believed he was a sorcerer if you hadn't seen his power."

Arthur nodes. "Thank you, for telling me. I wish you and your village the best of luck with the repairs."

The villager bows and leaves. Next to enter are the patrol who had been attacked.

"My lord." They bow.

Arthur nodes. "What is it you wish to report?"

"We were attacked by a sorcerer on our way back to Camelot, my lord." One of them answers. "They had a great power."

"Do you know who this sorcerer was?" Arthur asks.

"Yes, I do, my lord." A second one answers. "It was the traitor, Merlin."

As the knight said that all the Knights of the Round Table placed their hands on their swords. Arthur glanced at them, even Gwen looked ready to attack the knight who had spoken. They all knew Merlin was no traitor.

"You are dismissed," Arthur replies. "Get any injuries you have looked at, you can return to work in a weeks' time. By then you should all have recovered from you injuries and be fit for work."

As the patrol left, Arthur noticed all the servants present were glaring at them, if looks could kill they would be dead ten times over. It didn't surprise Arthur that the servants would be on Merlin side, Merlin knew almost ever servant in the castle and most of the castle guards too. Arthur sighed as the council began speaking all at once.

"SILENCE!" Arthur yells.

The council fall silent and all look at their king.

"My lord," one of them speak up. "I think it would be a good idea if you continue the war on sorcerer like your father. Since you have become king, you have made peace with the druids and have not hunted those who practice the dark arts. Look what has happened, two attacks. We are lucky that no one has died."

Gaius glares at the man who had spoken. "Uthur was a great king. But he hunted and chased those with magic to try and free himself from his guilt. Arthur has made peace with the druids to try and heal the wounds created by Uthur and his hatred. The druids are a strong ally to have, they are peaceful and can heal better than even I."

The councilman glares at Gaius. "The druids and all like them practice the devils magic and ways. I have heard that they now have a king, who is to start forming alliances with many of the other kingdoms. We must kill him before he can enchant all our allies against us."

Before Gaius can reply, Geoffrey speak up. "The druid king, Emrys, is a man of peace. His name has been written in old scrolls. The coming of Emrys has been foreseen since the start of time, he will not harm a kingdom because they do not practice magic. He is the protector of all those with magic, the last high priest of the of the triple goddess, his birth was blessed by the gods of old. From what I have heard spoken today, the sorcerer who saved the women from burning was no doubt Emrys," He turns to Arthur. "You servant who saved Isolde, is Merlin Emrys. He is king of the druids."

Arthur was slightly taken aback that Geoffrey knew this. He had listened to a couple of witnesses and worked out Merlin was king of the druids. "Are you sure?" Arthur asks, trying to hide the true reason for his shock.

Geoffrey nodes. "I am sure, my lord. I never once said, but Merlin magic I knew about."

"How did you know?" Arthur asks.

"Cornelius Sigan," Geoffrey answers. "He was the most powerful sorcerer to have lived. There was only one with the power to defeat him and that is Emrys. Gaius and Merlin were the two who returned Sigan's soul. I know Gaius is not Emrys, so that left Merlin."

The council then went in to up roar, all yelling and shouting, demanding that Arthur do something about the new threat. Many were also angry that Geoffrey knew Merlin had magic and never told Uthur. Some even called for his execution.

"Council dismissed." Arthur yells and the council quickly leave.

Gaius looks at Arthur. "Declaring war on sorcerer, sire, will be a grave mistake."

"But what can I do, Gaius. The council will not agree with doing nothing and to do so will have them yelling I have been enchanted."

"Maybe once you see Merlin again he will have some idea of what to do," Gwen answers. "He knows the fear many have of magic and he will know the best way to deal with it."

Arthur sighs. "Then I hope we see him soon, because if I declare war on magic by force of the council…. We will never have peace."

**Hey all, hope you liked that chapter. Let me know what you think. The next chapter will be going back to the story telling of Merlin's adventures, I'm going to try a new way of writing it, so when the next chapters are up feel free to comment,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	18. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter seventeen: Merlin's apprentice.

Merlin walked through the valley of the fallen kings, it was about an hour after dawn and he had spent the whole night in the caves, with no sleep. Merlin glanced round, the earth around him seemed to be oozing magic and everything seemed more healthy. Merlin smiled, if only people could see how beautiful and peaceful magic could be.

All magic users had a place to call home now, but it would still be nice if the other kingdoms accepted magic. Merlin glanced at the sky tomorrow he would be meeting with queen Annis to talk about a treaty between the two kingdoms after that he would be speaking with the other kingdoms. It was possible he would talk to Arthur, but there was no way he was going anywhere near king Sarrum kingdom.

Merlin slaps his forehead, he had to get that letter to Gwaine's mother. Today was the last day he could do it, after today he was going to be busy, talking peace and none stop studying magic. Merlin sighed, he had the letter for Gwaine's mother with him, he had no idea why he had picked it up last night, but now he was glad he did. Merlin was sure Gwaine's mother lived not far from the border of queen Annis's kingdom, he had used a spell when he first got the letter to see where Gwaine's mother was, he was not going to waste time going from door to door in ever kingdom looking for her.

Behind him he could hear voices, quickly Merlin ducks behind a tree and waits. He watches as Arthur, Gwen, Elyan, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Gaius, Isolde and Tristan pass. Pulling the hood of his cloak low over his face he quickly follows them. He ducks behind some rocks as they approach the entrance to the crystal cave. Taliesin is waiting for them. Merlin frowns for a moment then grins. It made sense now, how Gwaine knew so much. Gaius hadn't known that much about Will, Merlin had never spoken of him.

Merlin then took a step back in horror, if they were really watching his adventures, they were going to see everything. Merlin quickly turns and runs, he couldn't be caught here. They weren't ready to see him yet, to make matter worse, Arthur was going to find out the truth about his birth and that wasn't going to be a good thing. From what Gwaine had told him Arthur knew what Morgause had said was true, but not all the details. Merlin knew if Arthur didn't already hate him for lying about his magic, he would most likely hate him for lying about how his mother died.

Merlin could remember the betrayal he felt when he found out about his father, but he understood the reasons his mother had never told him, it was just too painful for her to speak about. Merlin smiled sadly, he remembered telling her about how his father had died. She had been so sad, but she said they would meet again in the afterlife, where the two of them would watch with pride as Merlin grew into the greatest warlock the world would ever know and both she and Merlin agreed that wouldn't be for many years yet. At last Merlin arrived at the side of a lake, the lake of Avalon.

"Soon," Merlin speaks. "I will come back and I will do what you have asked of me. But not yet. There is things I must do first."

The water rippled as if in reply. Merlin smiled slightly and turned away, he was hoping he could form peace with Camelot before he did what they had asked of him. He didn't want Camelot to declare war on Avalon. Knowing Arthur, he probably would try if he didn't accept magic. Merlin almost laughed at the thought of that, the beings of Avalon were immortal he would never win that war. Merlin could kill some of the beings from Avalon, not that he was proud of that. The job they had asked him to do would hopeful create peace between Avalon and Albion. Merlin sighed, all the jobs he was given seemed to be so important and would have an age of darkness if he failed.

"No pressure then." Merlin mutters.

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Smoke filled the air around Merlin, it was thick and made his eyes sting. The village around him was burning, the people who lived here, were long gone. Either burnt or finding shelter in the woods. Merlin had his scarf pulled up over his nose and mouth, he had a spell too, but still he could taste the smoke. The fire had been started with magic, Merlin could sense it. But he knew it hadn't been done on purpose, whoever did this had no control over their magic. To make it worse they were still here somewhere in the smoke, too scared to run.

'_Help me.' _A voice calls in Merlin's mind.

Merlin looks round, but can see nothing through the smoke. _'Where are you?'_

'_Help me, please, someone help me.' _The voice pleads.

'_Tell me where you are,' _Merlin answers. _'And I will help you.'_

'_I don't know, there is too much smoke.' _He voice answers.

Merlin sighs and raises his hands his eyes flash gold and the smoke cleared from the air. He would have done the spell sooner, but he couldn't risk drawing to much attention to himself, he was still within the Camelot borders. Not far from where Merlin was standing, a boy of nine years was hiding behind some boxes.

'_Help me.' _He calls.

Merlin looks round and spots him, he holds out his hand. _'Come here.'_

The boy quickly gets to his feet and runs over to Merlin and grabs his hand. Through the gaps between the houses Merlin can see a patrol from Camelot making their way towards them, they hadn't been seen yet.

'_Quickly,' _Merlin mutters. _'We have to get out of here before we are seen.'_

Merlin quickly leads the way into the forest, the boy follows quickly refusing to let go of Merlin's hand. Merlin glances at the boy as the two of them duck behind a tree. The boy he had just recued reminded him of Mordred, glancing around the tree Merlin watches the patrol, as they look at the damage. Merlin glanced down at the boy beside him.

'_What is your name?' _Merlin asked.

'_Terrance.' _The boy, Terrance answers.

'_Well I'm Merlin.' _Merlin grins, he watches as one of the patrol members looks in their direction. Merlin holds his breath, the man begins to walk in their direction. Glancing round Merlin spots a large pile of ash and half burnt wood.

"Perfect." Merlin whispers out loud. Terrance looks at him, then at the pile of wood and ash. Merlin holds out the hand Terrance isn't holding and mutters a spell, his eyes flash gold. The wood and ash rise from the ground and form the shapes of humans and start walking towards the Camelot patrol. The first one to spot them, yells and warning and they all draw their weapons. Merlin grins, like that's going to help. Beside him Terrance is just staring at Merlin in shock and awe, Merlin glances down at Terrance and grins.

'_Can you teach me to do that?' _Terrance asks.

Merlin nodes. _'If you want, but it takes years of study to be able to cast a spell as complex as that.'_

'_I can start fires when I'm scared.' _Terrance whispers.

Merlin knells down beside Terrance. _'Did you start the fire?'_

Terrance nodes and starts sobbing. _'I didn't mean to, I was scared.'_

Merlin nodes. _'It's okay. When I was younger when I got upset I used to create storms. The lightning used to start fires and the rain would flood people's homes, the wind would be so powerful it would knock over trees and make the ground shake.' _Merlin pulls Terrance into a hug, he knew how scary it was to have a power you don't understand.

'_My father was like you,' _Terrance sobs. _'He could do magic. He used to do tricks and make animals out of the fire, but men from Camelot came and killed him…. My mother was so scared they would do the same to me. But one day the other children started picking on me, I started a fire…. I didn't mean too. My mother told me to hide and a man killed my mother.'_

Merlin sighs and looks back at the village. _'I can take you to the druids. I'm sure one would take you on as an apprentice.'_

'_Apprentice?'_

'_Yeah, it's were you are taught magic and other forms of study.'_

'_So I can be your apprentice?'_

Merlin looks at Terrance. _'Yeah, I guess you can be. I haven't finished my studies yet, but I'm sure that won't be a problem.'_

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**Hey hoped you liked that, Merlin now has an apprentice! Next chapter should be up soon. **

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter eighteen: The curse of Cornelius Sigan and the once and future queen.

It was only a couple of hours past dawn when Arthur, Gwen, Tristan, Isolde, Gaius, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon found themselves back in the crystal cave. Taliesin was there waiting for them, the crystals glowing brightly around him and he greeted them with a small smile.

Arthur glances round. "I'm sure the crystals were not glowing this much yesterday."

"They were not, Arthur Pendragon."

"Why?"

"Because they did not have as much power yesterday. Last night while you were away Merlin Emrys came to the caves, he was sent here to unlock the true power of his magic and by doing so unleashed the true power of earth magic. He has returned magic to the land and the land will once again live. The forests will grow taller and the animals will be stronger and live longer. Magic once again flows through the earth like blood through your body. Merlin Emrys has undone all the work Uthur had done to drive the magic from the earth itself, he has made the land rich with magic and life once more."

Gaius smiles. "I thought I felt a shift in power last night, but I thought it may have been my mind playing tricks."

Taliesin smiles. "All those with magic felt it. Every living thing would have felt it, whether they knew what it was or not is a different matter."

"So Merlin managed to undo all Uthur's years of work, in one night?" Leon asks.

Taliesin nodes. "He did and not only in this kingdom, all the kingdoms in the land are now rich with magic once more. Now I do believe it is time we see some more of Merlin's adventures. Only this time it will be different, I can let you watch all of Merlin's adventures. But I no longer have the power to stop and start them when you wish to speak, so please save speaking until the end."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"Oh good one princess," Gwaine mutters. "Merlin couldn't have told them to stop, like he said, they were working under the kings orders."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "I know that, but I really wanted to sleep."

"What were they mining for?" Elyan asks.

"Uthur believed there were riches to be found under the castle." Gaius answers.

"Is it just me or does Merlin have no sense of fear?" Leon ask. "I mean all the miners were running out of the mine, Merlin just watched them before going to see what they were running from."

"It's not like much could have hurt him," Percival answers. "He was on his own, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing him, if something attacked him and he used magic to defend himself."

"In the tomb," Isolde asks. "Could he hear the whispers? Was that why he was drawn to that stone."

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin could feel the stones power, but at the time he didn't know what it was."

Tristan frowns. "That man who died, was that poison?"

Taliesin shakes his head. "No, that was dark magic. The arrows were covered in dark magic."

Gwen glances at Gaius. "When Merlin saved your life, he didn't use a spell. I wouldn't have said that was instinctive."

"Merlin can do elemental based spells without the need of speaking. That was an elemental based spell." Gaius answers.

"Good thing the king didn't walk in at that moment, then." Elyan mutters. "I think he would have burnt both you and Merlin at the stake."

Gaius smiles sadly. "Merlin and I both know how it feels to nearly be burnt at the stake, it is not a fate I would wish on anyone."

"Merlin was nearly burnt at the stake?" Gwen asks, shocked.

"Yes," Gaius answers. "He was. He made it all the way out into the court yard before escaping."

Arthur shakes his head. "That's not possible, I would remember that."

"You do," Gaius answers. "You were the one who lead him to be burnt."

"I what!?" Arthur exclaimed.

Gaius smiles. "You will find out about it soon enough."

Gwaine suddenly laughed. "The king made you guard it."

"What's so funny about that?" Arthur demands.

"We all knew someone was going to brake in from the moment the king said that." Gwaine answers with a grin.

"What do you mean, I was more than capable."

"You should have listened to Merlin then." Gwaine answers.

"I wouldn't have had to worry about that, if our worker knew how to keep a secret." Arthur grows. "I'm surprised we didn't have more people trying to brake in."

Leon nodes. "We need to work on that, I mean everyone escapes from the dungeons. Merlin has more than once, I know for sure."

"Well it's not hard to when you have magic." Percival points out.

Leon nodes. "I mean people without magic. I mean Elyan escaped."

"Yeah I did, but Merlin helped me." Elyan answers.

Gwaine grins. "It appears Merlin has been helping people escape from the dungeons. You would have thought braking one law everyday for having magic would be enough, but no."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Merlin doesn't help everyone escape."

"He has helped many though," Gaius answers. "I don't think you'll see many of the people Merlin helped escape, but almost ever druid who was caught by bounty hunters and bought to Camelot, Merlin helped escape. The same with sorcerers. Those who used magic to kill and did so on purpose he let die for their crimes, like any normal person would... Actually you will see the first person he helped escape…. A druid girl. I think he kept saving people after that, to try and make up for the fact he couldn't save her. Truth be told there were many he could not save and felt guilty for not saving them, but he tried his best and saved many lives."

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"Merlin could use that spell when we go hunting." Gwaine grins. "It would save a lot of time."

Elyan looks at Gwaine. "Merlin hates hunting, remember. He would only use that spell if our lives were in danger."

Leon smiles slightly. "I can't believe Arthur really thought it was Cedric who throw the spear."

Percival looks at Gaius. "Sigan? Why was his name only known in Camelot if he was feared so much?"

Gaius sighs. "As you know Sigan swore to destroy Camelot. So it was only Camelot that needed to fear him. I must say I am surprised Gwen and Elyan have not heard that story."

Gwen smiles slightly. "Our father did not believe any good would come of being told such stories."

Elyan nodes. "Our father hated what happened to those accused of sorcerer, so though it best we knew as little as possible. You only had to say the wrong thing to someone and they would tell the king you had magic or had been consulting with sorcerers."

"I was told the stories," Leon speaks up. "But I never believed them. If someone told me he was buried under Camelot, I would never have believed them. I'm just glad Merlin didn't give up on us, he looked more than ready to a couple of times."

Gaius nodes. "Merlin is under a lot of pressure. Unlike Arthur, Merlin has no help…. Well very little help when he needs it the most. Merlin protects this whole land, for he alone is the person who is going to help Arthur create Albion and a time of peace. If Merlin failed it would result in the deaths of more people than you could count."

Gwen glances up, with a worried expression. "That tomb is still under Camelot, what is a sorcerer brakes in and takes the soul. They would then destroy Camelot."

Gaius smiles. "Merlin is clever Gwen. After the tomb was sealed Merlin cast a ward around the tomb only someone with great power could break in and Merlin would know about it. Merlin powers have increased since he last faced Sigan, he could now destroy Sigan's soul forever."

"Did Sigan's magic really help build Camelot?" Tristan asks suddenly.

"I believe it is possible," Gaius answers. "But you would have to ask Merlin. He would know, even if he didn't he would be able to find out."

Isolde nodes. "You said Sigan could turn day into night, can Merlin do that."

"I have no doubt," Gaius answers. "He can stop and slow time without a word, he can change the weather with the smallest of movements. Turning day in to night wouldn't pose much of a challenge."

"When you warned my father," Arthur speaks. "Why is it he refused to believe what you said?"

"Uthur believed he had conquered the old religion and that its laws did not affect him. But magic is the life force of the earth itself and its warning should not be taken lightly."

"Morgana nightmares," Gwen asks. "What do you think the king would have done if he found out?"

Gaius sighs. "I couldn't possibly say, he loved Morgana more than anything. He would not have killed her, that I am sure of. But no good would have come from it, it most certainly would not have helped those with magic."

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"I had always wondered where the insult 'clot pole' had come from." Gwaine grinned.

"Just another one of his made up insults." Arthur sighed.

"But we must congratulate Merlin," Gwaine grins. "Because it suits you perfectly."

"Merlin really does hold what you say above all others." Isolde mutters, glancing at Gaius.

Gaius smiles. "For some reason Merlin believes I have the answer to everything. At times Merlin does get depressed, he is under so much pressure. I have watched him struggle and fight against everything thrown his way and no one thanks him. He is like a son to me and I would never stand by and watch him destroy himself, it is my job to stop him from falling into the darkness that threatens to consume him."

Arthur turns to Gaius. "So magic does corrupt!"

"No," Gaius almost yelled. "That is not the darkness I speak of. Merlin has often lost faith…. And has caused himself harm. He is only one man…. One man who cannot hide from the many things that would have knights running."

Gwen lets the tears slide down her checks. "Poor Merlin." She whispers.

"I bet that hurt your pride, Arthur?" Gwaine questions trying to lighten the mood. "I mean having you keys stolen, while they were right next to you. Must've hurt your pride."

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur snaps.

Tristan clears his throat. "Merlin was woken by the raven call, why was that?"

"Merlin was awoken by it, because it was Sigan's way of showing Camelot he had returned. All those with magic would have heard the call. I also heard it, but the call was in my dreams not in reality like Merlin heard it."

"Merlin really does spend a lot of time in the dungeons." Gwen sighs.

Gaius chuckles.

"What?" Gwen asks.

"Merlin is always thrown in the dungeons for every reason apart from the one he should be there for. I can only recall few times he was thrown in the dungeons for sorcerer and one of those times no one knew it was Merlin in the cell; the time he was nearly burnt."

Elyan laughs. "If you think about it, we should have worked out Merlin had magic ages ago. I mean I know no one who has been accused of sorcerer as many times as Merlin has. He even told the king he had magic."

Everyone smiles.

"Merlin really does know how to keep himself safe." Leon mutters. "From what I have seen Merlin is clever, and in no way clumsy. He knows more about everything that's going on in the castle, than I would ever be able to know. He always seems one step ahead of everyone else."

Gaius smiles. "Merlin always is one step ahead. How do you think he knows who is the traitor before you even suspect it. When Merlin told you he only thought your uncle betrayed you, Arthur, he lied. Merlin knew pretty much from the start. He knew Morgana meant harm to the kingdom before Morgana even was even kidnapped all those years ago. Merlin has to be one step ahead of everyone else, if he isn't people die."

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"That spell," Tristan asks. "Could Merlin do something like that?" As the statues on the castle walls come alive.

Gaius nodes. "He could, whether he would want to is a different matter."

"It must have been hard for Merlin just stuck in the dungeons, while the castle fell to pieces around him." Isolde mutters.

"Merlin really does know how to escape in style." Gwaine mutters.

Percival laughs. "He couldn't have made that more obvious if he tried."

"Saved by a girl twice, sire." Elyan grins. "I believe Merlin has been saved by a girl less times than that. I think Gwen has only saved him once."

"Shut up." Arthur growls.

"So Merlin was in the same room as the whole royal family, while he should have been locked in the dungeons. Talk about taking a risk." Leon mutters.

"Merlin really didn't like that dragon, did he?" Gwaine grins.

"The dragon did trick him into sacrificing his mother, lucky Nimueh was the one who was died." Percival answers.

Arthur grins. "I killed that dragon."

Gwaine snorts and Gaius tries to keep from raising an eyebrow.

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "You think Merlin killed it?"

Gwaine shakes his head. "No, no…. You believe what you want to believe. I take it you know what is true, Gaius?"

"Indeed I do." Gaius answers. "Indeed I do."

Arthur just glares at them. "Merlin may have promised to free the dragon, but even I know he wasn't stupid enough to do it."

"He did promise." Leon mutters.

Arthur nodes. "The chains holding the dragon could not be broken by magic. Merlin would have had no way of freeing him."

"Well let's not forget Merlin did save you." Gwen smiles. "And he also defeated Sigan."

Elyan nodes. "For a moment there I really did believe Sigan had possessed Merlin."

Gaius smiles weakly. "Think how I felt when he appeared out the smoke like that. Merlin can truly appear evil when he wants to."

Percival nodes. "I almost thought Merlin was going to join Sigan for a moment."

Gwen nodes. "He did seem to consider it."

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin has never wanted power. All he has ever wanted is freedom. The freedom to be who he really is."

"Merlin defeated Sigan," Tristan growls. "That act alone saved Camelot. I think Merlin and his kind should be granted their freedom."

Arthur nodes slightly. "Just a matter of convincing the council without them all yelling I've been enchanted."

"Clot pole." Gaius, Gwaine and Gwen all mutter at the same time.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic the destiny of a grate kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"Merlin really does have his work cut out, having to save you all the time." Gwaine mutters. "The most feared assassin in all the land was out to kill you."

Leon nodes. "Merlin really is one of a kind."

"To think Arthur would be dead a hundred times over if it wasn't for Merlin."

"And what thanks does he get?" Percival asks.

Arthur sighs. "I know."

Tristan glares at Arthur. "I would start planning what you are going to say to the council when you get back. Merlin have proved beyond doubt that magic is not evil."

Gwen nodes. "Merlin has risked his life every day, just to make sure we are all save."

"He saved my life, knowing he would be sentenced to death for doing it." Isolde agrees.

Gaius smiles. "Merlin would be pleased to know you all support him."

Gwaine grins at Leon. "You could have beaten Arthur."

Leon nodes. "He was crown prince I could not afford to injure him."

"And considering the mood Arthur was in afterwards." Elyan mutters. "I think you were better off winning."

Gwen grins. "I like how it was Merlin who gave him the idea to enter the tournament under a different name. Does Merlin come up with all of the plans?" She teases Arthur.

Arthur just looks away as Gwaine laughs.

"We all know Merlin is the brains beside the operation, even if we don't know it." Percival mutters.

Elyan nodes. "Even Merlin could have come up with a better beast…. Knowing Merlin he probably would have described an actual beast. He must know a lot about magic creature. He seems to fight a lot of them."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "I had to come up with it on the spot. I didn't have time to think."

"Yeah, if you had it would probably cause your head to explode." Gwaine grins.

"You're as bad as Merlin." Arthur sighs.

Gwaine grins. "I do try, princess."

Gwen looks at Arthur. "You say you want people to treat you like a normal person, yet you are too stuck up to carry a bag."

Arthur looks at Gwen. "Its Merlin's job to carry my stuff."

"Normal people don't have servant," Gwen replies. "Don't you think Merlin should have a break every now and again?"

"Well," Leon quickly cut in. "For once I am glad Arthur stayed in Camelot. He would have been killed if he hadn't."

"I can't help but feel insulted, though." Elyan mutters. "Merlin's opinion on how knights act…. Well I just hope I'm not like that."

Percival laughs. "Even though Arthur told him to act with honour and nobility, he still turned out arrogant and cocky."

"Just like the princess then." Gwaine grins.

Isolde glares at Arthur. "You didn't even ask if that was Gwen's bed, you just took it. You really need to work on your manners."

Arthur looks at Gwen. "I'm truly sorry about that Guinevere."

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Leon shakes his head. "We really do seem to have a large problem with traitors."

Elyan nodes. "Lucky the ones who do real damage Merlin seems to be able to stop. I have no doubt Merlin has stopped many of Morgana's plans."

Gwen smiles. "Merlin is always one step ahead."

"I can see how Merlin could keep his magic a secret so well," Tristan mutters. "You and that farmer looked completely different. I mean Arthur is wider and the farmer was taller and no one noticed."

"Are you calling me fat?" Arthur demands.

"He wouldn't dream of it princess…. After all that is Merlin's job." Gwaine smirks.

Tristan raises an eyebrow. "Merlin calls Arthur 'fat'?"

"Yeah," Gwen smiles. "It's just one of the many insults Merlin has."

"Why does everyone agree with Merlin?" Arthur demands.

"Because Merlin is right, sire." Gaius smiles slightly.

Arthur stares at Gaius in disbelief, while Gwaine cheers.

Isolde glances at Gaius. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"Merlin and I have lived together for years now. It is not often he gets past me, but I will admit he is good at sneaking out at night. I am a light sleeper and I am woken by the smallest of noises, Merlin can be silent when he wants to. It quite alarming really, he would make a good assassin if he liked killing people."

Arthur laughs. "Merlin doesn't even know how to fight."

"Then you have never seen him fight with a long knife or short staff, I take it." Gaius smiles.

Arthur looks at Gaius. "He can barely lift a sword."

"Merlin can fight well," Gaius answers. "Long knives are what he fights best with and he learnt to fight with his Sidhe staff. Merlin is also left handed, you always made him train with his right. Which I must thank you for, his skills with his right hand have got much better."

Arthur stares at Gaius. "You're being serious?"

"Yes, Merlin has some skills in combat. He may not be the best, but he can hold his own." Gaius answers.

"And so it seems Arthur can be wise at times." Elyan grins. "You really didn't like the special treatment the knights gave you, did you?"

Arthur sighs. "When you are in battle people do not care about your title, all they care about is killing you. If I was training, but everyone was letting me win because I was the prince, in battle my skills wouldn't be good enough to keep me alive. I need to be able to train in a way that improves my skill, not just make me look the best because of my title."

Percival nodes. "Well good thing we don't take I easy on you then."

"That was quite a speech from Merlin, though." Gwen mutters.

Gaius nodes. "Almost as good as the 'Go do this, Merlin. Go do that Merlin. Go kill the griffin, Merlin.' Speech."

Gwaine laughs. "Merlin says the funniest things sometimes…. So Arthur how did it feel to be told off my Gwen?"

Leon suddenly starts laughing. "I still can't believe you didn't know what to do with the chicken, even I know how to cook."

Gwaine grins. "If only Merlin had seen how you were looking at the chicken, you would never have lived it down."

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Gaius sighs. "Sometimes I fail to understand how much pressure Merlin is really under."

Isolde smiles. "It must be hard for both of you."

Gaius smiles slightly. "I would die for Merlin, as I know many others would. But even I have betrayed Merlin's trust more than once. I fear Merlin will be for ever alone."

Everyone is silent for a while, before Elyan smiles.

"You couldn't even sleep on the floor for one night?" He asks.

Arthur glares at him. "Gwen was right I had to be well rested."

Percival rolls his eyes. "And yet you sleep on the floor when we go out on quests."

"That's different."

"Of course it is." Gwaine rolls his eyes.

Tristan smirks. "Well we can see where the romance between Arthur and Gwen started."

Gwen smiles. "At least he wore the token I gave him."

"It's just your luck though, isn't it Arthur? To be up against the assassin. Good thing Merlin saw the spike in his lance." Leon mutters.

"You're still a fool though," Gaius mutters. "You would risk your life to protect your pride. Did you learn nothing when you killed the unicorn?"

"And you proved nothing." Tristan mutters. "Without Merlin's help you would have been dead."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "This seems to becoming a habit with Merlin, whenever I go out to prove myself, he always seems to help."

"Hey," Gwaine mutters. "I have helped too."

Arthur glares at him. "You promised never to speak of that."

Gwaine shrugs. "I don't see how it's going to matter, we going to end up seeing it I bet."

Arthur just puts his head in his hands.

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**Hey, hope you liked that. Leave a review. I'm thinking about returning Freya in the story, I have read a lot of books on king Arthur and the knights and in most of them Freya can leave the lake. Would anyone be against the idea of Freya returning?**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	20. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter nineteen: Lancelot and Guinevere and beauty and the beast part one.

"So what do you think so far?" Gwaine asks. "Is Merlin awesome or what?"

Percival sighs. "He is powerful…. Sigan proved that. He's also really good at using magic right in front of people, without anyone noticing."

Elyan nodes. "How though? So far Lancelot is the only one who has noticed."

"Yeah, but bright blue flames are quite hard to miss." Leon mutters. "I think even Gwaine would have noticed that."

"Hey!" Gwaine complained.

Gwen rolls her eyes. "We have a lot to thank Merlin for…. I just hope we see him again."

Isolde smiles. "You'll see him again."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because," Tristan answers. "The next time you need saving, he'll turn up to save you just like every other time."

Gaius nodes. "Merlin may not be able to return to Camelot, but he would rather die than abandon you to your deaths."

Arthur nodes. "But if I change the law on magic, he will return…. Right?"

Taliesin looks at them all. "He may or may not return. He has a lot of people relying on him now, he cannot just abandon his duties to the magical community…. Plus you will not be able to see him until we are finished here, we don't have all day so we must get on."

And so their short lunch break ended.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"Have you people in Camelot never heard of scouts?" Gwaine asks.

"What do you mean? Of course we have." Leon answers.

"Well then why don't you use them?" Gwaine mutters.

"The path they took is usually perfectly safe. Before Morgana turned against us she would make that trip once a year." Leon answers.

"All the more reason to have scouts check the area first," Gwaine explains. "If the same path is used every year, it will be known as a good place to try and kidnap her."

Arthur sighs. "Can we talk about this later, we talk about this in training. Right now I want to talk about what happened, Gwen could have been killed."

Elyan smiled slightly. "I'm glad you care so much for my sister…. But Gwen here is more than capable of taking care of herself."

Gwen rolls her eyes. "That's never stopped you protecting me."

"Yeah, well, you are my sister. It is the job of a brother to protect his sister."

Gwaine grins. "Who knew Morgana could punch. That was quite some skills with a sword too."

Percival grins. "Remember Morgana told Arthur she had beaten him before."

"Oh yeah," Gwaine grin. "Not only has Arthur been saved by a girl, he been beaten by one too."

Arthur face quickly turns a bright shade of red, but before he can express his fury Gwen rests a hand on his arm.

"Stop teasing him," Gwen smiles. "It's not his fault the only one who could save him was a girl…. Or beat him." Gwen remembered quite well his fight with Morgause, it almost made sense that both the people who beat him were almost family.

Gaius sighs. "Morgana used to be so kind…. Her fear and hate turned her into what she is today. But I still miss her."

Gwen smiles sadly. "So do I."

Isolde smiles at Gwen. "I must say Gwen, it was brave what you did. You only had to say the wrong thing and you would have been found out."

"I have been Morgana's maid for years. I tried my best to act like her." Gwen answers.

Tristan nodes. "You couldn't have done it better…. I now understand why even Arthur is scared of you."

"I am not scared of Gwen," Arthur mutters. "I just hate seeing her angry and upset, so by agreeing with her or doing what she says makes her happy, I will do it."

"Of course," Gwaine laughs. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Percival looks at Arthur. "You know you could have just sent Merlin on his own…. I mean Merlin wouldn't have even had to do much. Just a couple of spells."

Leon nodes. "I'm beginning to fear for our guards, though."

"Why?" Elyan asks.

"Well Merlin is truly making them look stupid. First they chase after dice, second they fail to notice Merlin escaping and third they were knocked out by some enchanted barrels." Leon answers.

"Merlin is right though, Arthur," Gwaine mutters. "'There is just no pleasing you sometimes'."

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"Seeing Lancelot was a surprise." Percival mutters. "He seemed surprised to see you Gwen."

Elyan glares at Percival. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"I was just saying." Percival mutters. "Lancelot even fought with honour when forced to fight in a place like that."

Gwaine nodes. "Allow I bet the person he was fighting wished he didn't."

"What was that thing, in all my time smuggling, I have never come across a creature such as that."

"They were Wilddeoren." Arthur answers. "They live underground mostly, nobody uses the tunnels they live in, so it's no surprise you haven't heard of them."

"Is it just me, or can Merlin fall asleep anywhere?" Gwaine asks.

Gaius nodes. "I believe Merlin can sleep anywhere."

Gwaine grins. "You only throw water at him? I thought it was usually hard objects."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "It was all I had."

"Well lest Gwen had Lancelot for company, while Merlin had to put up with you and your 'prattish ways' as Merlin calls them." Gwaine grins.

Arthur glares at Gwaine.

Isolde smiles slightly. "I can see why you liked him Gwen, but you did not love him the way you love Arthur. Anyone can see that."

Gwen smiles at Isolde. "Lancelot was a good friend, not only to me but Merlin too."

"It is common for you to tell Merlin to shut up when you know he is right?" Tristan asks, glancing at Arthur.

Leon grins. "It is, allow Arthur will never admit it, Merlin is right most of the time of you think about it."

Percival nodes. "I love how he knew he wasn't going to like what was in the tunnels just by the look on Arthur's face."

"Giant baby rats," Elyan laughs. "They look nothing like baby rats."

Gwaine grins. "Merlin probably could have just used a spell and appeared on the other side of the mountain."

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin's magic was not that advanced at the time, transportation spells are incredibly hard to master and if they go wrong…. Well, you don't want to know."

"What about a spell to hide his sent?"

"He could have done that, yes," Gaius answers. "But it would have been hard with Arthur there."

"I must say Wilddeoren are not the most intelligent of animals," A voice behind them speaks. "I mean they live in those tunnels day in day out and suddenly there is the scent of berries right in the middle and they didn't even wounded how they got there."

Everyone spins round to find Merlin standing there, with a young boy at his side.

"Merlin!" Gwaine yells. "What are you doing here?"

Merlin holds up a letter. "It turns out I now have the job of messenger boy."

Gwaine quickly takes the letter. "Did you speak with her?"

Merlin nodes. "I did, she is well. I must say I have to work on greeting people, poor women thought you were dead."

Taliesin looks at Merlin. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought that was obvious, but oh well, I had to deliver a letter to Gwaine. Now I'll be on my way, I have tons of work to do and I thought it was bad being Arthur's servant."

"Wait!" Gwen yells, suddenly. "Can't you stay for a bit…? We have a lot to talk about."

Merlin shake his head. "I cannot stay where I am not welcome."

"But you are welcome here." Arthur quickly speaks up.

Merlin turn to look at Arthur. "But I am not. Magic is illegal here, in Camelot. I may return when you can truly accept me and my kind. But until then I cannot return."

Gaius walks forward and pulls Merlin into a hug. "I will see you soon my boy."

Merlin smiles. "Alice misses you."

"Mister Merlin?" Terrance calls pulling on Merlin cloak. "Mister Merlin?"

Merlin glances down at Terrance. "What is it?"

"Can I show your friends the spell you taught me?"

Merlin grins. "Of course," he turns back to face the group. "This by the way, is Terrance. He is my apprentice."

Gaius raises an eyebrow. "How is this not going to end in trouble?"

Merlin grins, as Terrance preforms the spell. A small bird made from fire bursts to life on his palm before flying around the cave and vanishing. Gwen smiles at the display, while everyone else was slightly shocked. Gaius couldn't believe someone so young could preforms such a spell.

"Well like I said, I must be going." Merlin grins, as he and Terrance vanish from sight.

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"Merlin is just so funny sometimes." Gwaine laughs. "'oh, oh, what's that Wilddeoren eating…. It's alright, don't worry it's just Merlin!'."

Arthur smiles at that. "And seconds later Merlin proves who wise he can be sometimes."

"Yeah," Percival snorts. "Who knew you were capable of doing emotional speeches."

Isolde glances at Gwen before smiling. "See Gwen he wanted to marry you, even then. And he was willing to risk his life for you."

Gwen smiles slightly. "Feeling change, do they not?"

Elyan smiles. "Like Arthur could walk and talk at the same time, that is after all multitasking."

Leon smiles. "I'm surprised he can use a sword and shield at the same time."

Arthur just glared at them. "Has Gwaine put you up to this?"

"Have I put them up to what?" Gwaine asks.

Arthur just glared at them. "I am your king, remember that."

"Yeah, like we could forget. It's all you go on about." Gwaine mutters. "Between being king and going on about how evil sorcerer is there is little else you talk about."

Elyan nodes. "Now we all know why Merlin gets so fed up with him sometimes."

Percival nodes. "You have to feel sorry for Merlin, being insulted all the time and being told you are no more than a servant."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Arthur growls.

Leon shakes his head. "The only thing missing is Merlin."

"It was brave of Lancelot to recue Gwen like that. I mean the risk he took was quite large." Tristan mutters.

"Arthur and Merlin recued them," Isolde points out. "There were only two of them."

"Yeah but one is the most powerful warlock ever."

Isolde rolls her eyes. "There were still only two of them."

"Merlin really does have a habit of dropping lights on people doesn't he?" Percival mutters. "First Mary Collins now this."

Gwaine grins. "So you're safe from Merlin as long as you do not stand under anything droppable, such as lights, trees, walls-"

"We get in Gwaine." Elyan snaps.

Leon glances at Arthur. "He isn't that useless, the speed he climbed over that fence. I don't think you could have gotten over that quick without a run up."

"And so Merlin saves you all once again." Gwaine grins. "How are you ever going to pay Merlin back, Arthur?"

"I have some ideas." Percival grins.

Elyan shakes his head. "You really know what to say don't you Arthur? And you wounded why it took you and Gwen so long to get together."

Leon nodes. "But it proves Lancelot was both brave, noble and honourable."

Gwen smiles sadly. "He left so me and Arthur could be happy and look how that turned out."

Arthur turns to face Gwen. "I guess now is the right time to say it-"

"No, Arthur, please. I cannot forgive myself."

"I don't care…. I just don't want to ever lose you."

Arthur takes both of Gwen's hands in his, suddenly in a world of their own.

"Will you marry me?" Arthur asks.

"Yes," Gwen replies trying not to cry. "Yes with all my heart."

And they kiss.

"And they all lived happily ever after." Gwaine grins, ruining the moment completely.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"Troll magic," Gaius mutters shaking his head. "Even Merlin found in complicated."

Gwaine looks at Gaius. "So like anyone could do that? I mean change their appearance."

Gaius nodes. "All those with magic are capable of doing it, if they know the right spell. Merlin has changed his appearance before. You can use spells or you can use glamour's."

"What are glamour's?" Gwen asks.

"A spell which changes the eye which see you, not what you actually look like." Gaius answers. "Those with strong magic can see through glamour's, so Merlin has always had to use spells which change his appearance. Otherwise Morgana would have known who he was from the start."

Elyan glances at Gaius. "Pot collecting every Thursday? I can see why Merlin found that boring."

"If I do not have pots, I have nothing to store my herds in. If I have no herds I can make no medicine." Gaius answers. "Merlin was my apprentice you know. It was his job to help me, well still is."

"Still is?" Percival asks.

Gaius nodes. "Merlin is now mine and Alice's joint apprentice. Alice teaches him healing spells, while I teach him the nature based side of healing. We will make a physician out of him yet."

"God help Merlin," Leon mutters. "He's going to need it." Leon had once talked to Gaius about the healing arts, so knew how passionate Gaius was about the subject.

"You were wary of Lady Katrina from the start," Gwen mutters. "Why was that?"

"Lady Katrina was said to have died like the rest of her family." Gaius answers. "And then she suddenly turns up in Camelot with no more than one servant."

Gwaine grins at Arthur. "I see you enjoyed your father flirting with the lady Katrina."

Arthur groans. "Don't remind me…. And even to this day Merlin hasn't learnt to knock."

Isolde looks at Gaius. "So that test proved to you that the lady Katrina wasn't who she said she was. But I don't get what you could have done about it? I mean the king was quite taken with her."

Gaius nodes. "Me and Merlin knew we could do something about it, if we knew who we were up against. Well Merlin would do most of the work."

"Merlin really does have a habit of spying on people, doesn't he?" Tristan mutters.

Gaius smiles. "Merlin is always spying on people. But he only spied on those who need to be spied on."

"Well his spying paid off," Leon mutters. "He found out Jonas had a tail."

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"I can see how you and Merlin had a hard time trying to convince the king, that his 'new lady friend' was a troll." Gwaine grins.

Elyan grins. "Must have been hard on you and Merlin, Gaius. You both knew the truth but no believed you."

Leon nodes. "Uthur really did fall for her fast."

"Merlin as it seems is also good at following people." Percival mutters.

"And sneaking about in my room." Arthur adds.

Gwen glances at Arthur. "I can now see why Merlin found it so easy to lie about his magic, you came up with the lie for him."

"Feed him to the dogs?" Tristan asks.

Arthur rolls his eyes. "How was I to know he was spying on her, to find out she was a troll."

"Well maybe you should start believing Merlin more." Leon advices.

Gaius smiles slightly. "It's just a shame every time Merlin uncovers something like this he always becomes the target for assassinations or traps or even unfortunate accidents."

"Assassinations?" Gwaine yells.

Gaius nodes. "He uncovers at least two or three plots each year and ends up becoming the target. Thinking about it you might see some of those adventures."

"Well I'm just glad Merlin was there," Gwen mutters. "I know you and Merlin have saved us."

Gaius smiles. "Even I have the honour of taking credit for Merlin work. As much as Merlin complains about it, he wouldn't want to be rewarded for it, I'm surprised he even let the druids crown him. He has never liked being centre of attention, with everyone watching him his secret was more likely to be discovered."

"And so the king was enchanted by a troll." Gwaine grins.

Tristan nodes. "It could have been worse."

"How could my father marrying a troll be worse?" Arthur demands.

"He could have banished you and Morgana, lady Katrina certainly didn't like the fact you and Morgana were around and trying to convince the king of her true form." Tristan answers.

Gwen looks at Gaius. "You really wanted Merlin to use magic in front of the king?"

Gaius nodes. "It was the only way we could expose Katrina."

Isolde shakes head. "He could have been caught. Uthur would have had him executed."

"We knew the risks." Gaius mutters.

"I can see why Merlin has to do most of the work." Gwaine mutters. "Least he doesn't sleep on the job."

Gaius looks slightly sheepish at that. "It had been a long day, I'm not as young as I once was."

Arthur shakes his head. "I can't believe Merlin used magic in front of the whole council like that and no one noticed."

"Jonas noticed." Percival points out.

Leon nodes. "So now Jonas and Katrina know Merlin has magic, that can't end well for Merlin."

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"I don't know who is more stupid, Gaius for telling the king. Or Merlin for telling Arthur." Elyan mutters. "I'm sure both of them knew it wasn't going to end well."

Arthur sighs. "A troll, I mean come on. Like anyone would have believed that."

"Gaius believed it." Percival points out.

Gwaine nodes. "Jonas had a tail that was all the proof you really needed to know something wasn't right."

"Merlin knew it was a trap so why did he go?" Leon asks.

"Merlin had no choice, of what Jonas said was right and Merlin did not go, Katrina would become queen. But if it was a trap Merlin knew he could get out of it and he would know to look for the potions elsewhere." Gaius explains.

"Trapped in the trolls' lair." Tristan mutters. "I bet he enjoyed that."

"Must have been tiring, spending your whole night repeating the same spell." Isolde mutters. "That must have been powerful magic."

Gaius nodes. "It was. But Merlin has power beyond all others, nothing poses a challenge for too long."

"And so Merlin escapes," Gwaine mutters. "That spell must be so useful when he needs to escape from places."

"It is." Gaius answers. "Merlin has been trapped plenty of times in the past, but I fear at the time it was too late, he arrived after the wedding was complete."

Percival smiles. "So the king married a troll."

Gwaine starts to laugh, while all the others try to keep a straight face. Arthur just glares at Gwaine.

"This isn't funny." Arthur growls. "My father married a troll."

With that all the other knights start to laugh, even Leon. Tristan and Isolde can't help but smile and Gaius and Gwen try and hide their laughs the best they can. Arthur just glares at them and shakes his head, it really wasn't funny, he was just glad Merlin wasn't here. He could almost hear the 'I told you so'.

**Hey all, hope you liked that chapter. I will return Freya soon. I'm planning on returning here after they have all seen her in the water the fisher king gave Merlin, so it won't be for a couple of chapter. But Merlin will speak of her and possible see her before that ;). Leave a review and let me know what you think,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	21. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty: You can't fight what you can't see part 1.

The wood was perfectly still and silent. No birds sang and no leaves moved in the trees. A deer lay torn to shreds at the base of a large oak tree, its bark stained crimson red.

Along a path not far from the tree two people walked, Merlin and Terrance. They, like the wood around them. were silent, their footsteps not making a sound. The two of them had been walking for the best part of the day. First they had been to see Gwaine's mother, after that they went to the crystal caves. Now they were heading back to the perilous lands, they were only a couple of miles away from the bridge.

Merlin stops as he sees the dead deer, he had seen his fair share of gory deaths, but this sight made him want to throw up his lunch. Beside him Terrance did throw up, in to the undergrowth.

"Terrance," Merlin mutters. "I want you to run ahead to the bridge and send for some help. This has not been done by any creature I know."

Terrance nodes and quickly runs off. Merlin covering his face with a hand, to bloke out the smell, knelt beside the dead deer and studied the tree. Claw marks run deep, through the bark, each scratch longer than Merlin's forearm. There were four claw marks in total, but there was no way this had been made by a bear or any animal of that sort. The marks were massive, whatever did this was incredible large.

Merlin turned round and looked at the ground, the damp soil clearly showed the tracks of the deer. It had been standing still no far from the tree, no doubt eating grass or berries off the nearby bushes. They was no sign what's so ever that the deer had been chased, it was like one moment it had been standing there the next it was lying dead in pieces. Merlin quickly got to his feet, the deer tracks were the only ones here, apart from the tracks Merlin and Terrance had left. Merlin quickly rests his hand on the hilt of his long knife.

"Terrance said you needed some help." A voice behind him greets.

Merlin spins round to find Gilli standing there. "Come look at this."

"I would rather not," Gilli mutters, looking away. "I've just had lunch, I would rather keep it that way."

Merlin rolled his eye. "No really come look at this, it's important."

Gilli quickly makes his way over trying not to look at the dead deer. "What's so important?"

Merlin points to the claw marks on the tree. "Those are."

Gilli quickly pushes past Merlin to get a better look. "What the hell made these?" He exclaimed.

Merlin shrugs. "I have no idea. I have never seen anything like it. And I've been hunting with Arthur…. Some of the creature he hunts…."

Gilli quickly glances around the clearing. "I'm guessing you noticed there are only deer tracks."

Merlin nodes. "I have."

"I'd hate to meet what ever did this," Gilli mutters. "I have never heard of a creature that can tear an animal apart in such a way."

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Alator stood in the council hall, he simply watched as the other member of the council arrived. Merlin and Gilli were sharing worried glances, since they had returned with Terrance they had gone to the library to research something. When asked they had said little about it, Alator feared it was something serious. He knew if something worried Merlin Emrys, everyone should be worried.

To say the least he had been surprised when Merlin had told him Terrance was his new apprentice. He was even more surprised when Terrance told him about the spell Merlin had used on the Camelot patrol. A spell of such skill and power, he hadn't thought Merlin would know, he didn't really have any reason for knowing it and wasn't a spell you found in your standard spell book. An army made of wood and ash could do very little damage, many sorcerers could conjure and often used them to make their armies look bigger. Finally the council were all present.

"I'm sorry for summoning you at such a time," Merlin quickly speaks up. "But I fear this is important. And I pray to the gods I am wrong."

"Why is it you have summoned us here?" One council member asks.

Merlin holds up a book. "I have been doing so research, I have found a creature, which if not caught and killed, will do us a great deal of harm."

"How do you know this creature is even alive?" a second council member ask. "Creature from that book have not been seen since Mordred the dark was trapped in the mountains."

Merlin nodes. "I know that, but as we all know, Morgana had released Mordred. He is still weak but he has some power. When I was returning from my trip today, my apprentice and I came across a dead deer. Its body had been torn to shreds. In the tree next to where it was killed, were claw marks, the likes of which I have never seen."

"What and you suddenly think one of Mordred's creature are responsible?" A councilman laughs. "There are a great many creature you are yet to see Emrys. There is no need for you to spread panic among our people, because a deer was killed."

"NO!" Merlin yells, throwing the book down on the table with a large bang. "I do not wish to spread panic. I wish to protect our people. In this book there is a creature which hunts, kills and slaughters animals in a way I have seen, not a two mile from the bridge."

"What proof do you have?" Someone yells. "An animal was killed in a way you have never seen before, which just happened to match a creature in a book. That is not proof."

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO WHAT MERLIN IS TELLING YOU!" Gilli yells. "I have seen what Merlin has seen and it matches what is in that book perfectly."

Merlin smiles slightly. "If you would just let me explain you would see the reason why I fear these creature have returned. The deer that was killed was not chased, it was grazing at the time it was attacked. The deer tracks where the only tracks there, whatever attacked did not leave any tracks. The only proof that it was there, were the dead deer and the claw marks in the tree. In this book there is a creature that kills in a way Gilli and I have seen…. Here I will read a passage from the book:

'Change-wings are often mistaken for dragons, but are in no way related to the dragon family. Change-wings were created by Mordred to destroy his enemy, they are horrifying creatures feared by all. When Change-wings hunt, they rip their prey to pieces often leaving most of the animal. Change-wings only eat the heart of the animals. It is near impossible to hunt change-wings, they leave no tracks and are able to fly.

'The only form of tracks Change-wings leave are four claw marks. But the reason Change-wings are so hard to hunt is because they are able to camouflage themselves into any environment and are almost impossible to see. They can only be killed by blades forged by the magic of the old religion magic. Change-wings can only be killed by humans when newly risen. When a change-wing reaches it's full power, only creatures of magic can kill them.'

"So you see," Merlin explains. "We have good reason to believe that Mordred has sent these creature. It explains why the deer never saw what killed it coming."

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Merlin collapse to the ground on the training field.

"The council hate me." Merlin mutters.

Gilli shakes his head. "They don't hate you…. They just hate what you are trying to tell them."

Merlin sighs. "I should have guessed they would never listen to me, no one ever does. I just hope and pray I'm wrong about this. Because if it is true a Change-wing could be standing behind us right now and we would never even know it was there until it attacked us."

"Alator believed you." Gilli pointed out, glancing round.

Merlin sighs once more. "One person believes me…. Without the support of the council we cannot send people out to try a d kill these things."

Gilli is silent for a moment, then grins. "I have a plan."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Merlin mutters.

Gilli glances at Merlin. "Well you might, I mean it can't be a worse than one of Arthur's plans, I mean he does uses you as live bait."

Merlin snorts. "He did. How I never died, I don't know!"

Gilli grins. "Well why don't we hunt down these creatures ourselves, I mean you said yourself if they enter our kingdom, we would have no way of knowing until they killed. At the moment we know they are close to the border, it shouldn't be too hard to find a fresh kill and track them down from there."

Merlin glances at Gilli. "There are two of us and gods know how many of them. We cannot do this alone. We don't even have weapons that can kill the creatures!"

Gilli shakes his head. "We don't need enchanted swords, all we need is magic and metal. I'm got the metal and you have the magic, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Everything!" Merlin exclaimed.

Gilli looked at him. "The plan wasn't that bad."

Merlin sighs. "If we are going to track these creatures down and kill them we need to do it right. And we need a team, the two of us alone isn't going to do much. We'll be killed in seconds, if we are on our own!"

"Well how many people would we need for this 'team'?" Gilli asks.

"I would say six more people," Merlin smiles. "After all, it was only me, Gaius, Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyan and Arthur who took back Camelot from the immortal army."

"So we need six more people. Well I petty sure Daegal can take the place of Gaius, after all they both know a lot about healing. You can be Merlin, the all-powerful warlock, because you are Merlin. I can be-"

"Gilli we don't need to be like them we just need six more people. Are you sure Daegal is a wise choice? I mean he can treat and heal wounds, but can he defend himself?"

Gilli shrugs. "We need a healer, we are bound to get injured if we get cuaght by these creatures."

Merlin nodes. "After all we are bound to get hurt, you cannot hunt what you cannot see."

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Daegal stared at Gilli and Merlin for a moment. "Are you two insane?" He finally ask.

"It's quite possible," Merlin answers. "So will you help us or not?"

Daegal thinks for a moment. "I'll help, I never been on a hunt before."

"But can you defend yourself?" Gilli asks.

Daegal nodes. "I can throw knifes quite well."

Merlin grins. "Excellent, we'll be leaving soon so make sure you are ready."

Daegal nodes. "I will start preparing herds and bandages."

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Merlin and Gilli quickly make their way out of the tower. On the training field stood the young man Merlin trained with, 'the knight' as Merlin called him. He could fight as well as any knight Merlin knew and had quickly become a close friend of Merlin's. Merlin was one of those people, he befriended people quickly and gained the trust of many even quicker. He was one of the few people Merlin knew in this kingdom that wasn't from a magical family, but had made it his mission to protect those with magic.

"Hey," Merlin yells. "Bercilak!"

The man, Bercilak, turned as they approached. "Merlin, Gilli." He greets.

Merlin grins. "I need to ask you a favour."

"What is it?"

"Me, Gilli and some others, are planning on hunting down some creatures which are close to the borders. We were wondering if you would be up to help us."

Bercilak looks between the two of them. "This about the change-wings isn't it?"

Gilli nodes. "Yeah, but how do you know?"

"Let's just say I overheard what the council spoke of." Bercilak answers.

Merlin grins. "So will you help?"

"Of course," Bercilak grins. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Be ready we are leaving soon." Merlin warns.

Bercilak nodes. "I'll be ready."

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Gilli grinned as he knocked on one of the doors in the town surrounding the tower. Merlin simply stood next to him glancing round, trying really hard not to be noticed by the druids passing. He really did hate it when the bowed to him, he was lucky not many people realised who he was and he was glad, he hated all the attention. The door before them was suddenly thrown open, a girl with bright orange hair stood there, her green eyes studying them. She was a witch and practiced the Wiccan form of magic, her mother had taught her all she knew and her magic was not to be messed with. She was also quite good with a sword.

"What do you want, Gilli?" She snapped.

"We were wondering if you would be up to helping up track down and kill some change-wings?" Gilli asked.

"Who's your friend?" She demanded.

"Oh, I'm Merlin." Merlin grins, holding out a hand.

"I'm Eira." She answered, shaking Merlin's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," Merlin mutters. "So can you help us?"

Eira thinks for a moment. "Sure why not, I wouldn't miss a chance like this to show Gilli up."

"Like you could beat me, Eira." Gilli mutters.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Well, be ready we'll be leaving soon. Meet us on the training field."

Eira nodes. "See you soon, then. And Gilli I can beat you." With that she slams the door shut.

Merlin glances at Gilli. "Are all the people you know that moody?"

Gilli shakes his head. "Me and Eira are friends."

Merlin glances at Gilli. "You wouldn't believe it."

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Sefa stood yawning as she set down the basket of bread she was carrying. She had just been to the market to get the bread for the druid council. The druid meeting often lasted a long time and they often had a meal during the meetings. So bread, cheese, meat, fruit and water had to be plentiful during the meeting. Ruadan her father, was one of the druid leaders.

"No," A voice behind her sounds. "We can't ask Sefa for help!"

"Why not?" A second voice asks. "You and Sefa are friends."

Sefa turned around to find Merlin and Gilli standing not far from her.

"Yes me and Sefa are friends," Merlin answered. "But her father would kill me if she got hurt. I really don't want to be hunted down by an angry druid leader."

"You king of the druids, Merlin." Gilli answers. "He has to follow your orders."

"Have you ever meet Ruadan?" Merlin asked.

"No…."

"Well then you have no idea how scary he is, when he's in bad mood. And no one messes with his daughter…. He has vowed anyone who harms his daughter will die a slow and painful death and I believe him."

As Merlin and Gilli talked Sefa walked up to them, without them noticing.

"So what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Merlin and Gilli both jumped and quickly smiled.

"Sefa," Merlin greets. "Well…. We wanted to know if you would help us hunt down some change-wings."

Gilli nodes. "We are trying to form a team, so we can go and hunt them down before they cross over the bridge into our home."

Sefa raises an eyebrow. "Sure why not."

"Your father will be okay with this?" Merlin asked.

"What my father doesn't know, won't hurt him." Sefa answers. "As long as we are back in time for the druid meeting tonight he will be none the wiser."

Merlin grins slightly. "Okay, meet us on the training field."

Sefa nodes. "I look forward to it."

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Tyr was brushing the horses down in the stables. He practices animal magic, he could speak and communicate with any type of none magical animal. Horses were his favourite, his father had breed horses before he died. He had fallen ill a couple of winters ago and he had not reached the druids in time to be healed.

Tyr and his mother had stayed with the druid, where Tyr had practiced his magic and become quite skilled in it. He was also a good friend of Merlin. Merlin had stayed in the druid camp he was with for a couple of weeks after he had got into some trouble, he never said what kind of trouble though.

"Hey," a voice behind him called. "Tyr!"

Try turned round to find Merlin and a young man he had never meet before walking towards him.

"Merlin!" Tyr greets with a huge grin. "How can I help you?"

Merlin smiled. "Well firstly, this is Gilli," Merlin waved a hand in Gilli direction. "Secondly, we have come to ask if you would be willing to help is hunt down some creature we have found just outside the borders."

"The change-wings?" Tyr asks.

Gilli jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

"All the animals have been speaking about them. All the animals are living in fear of them, since they have been reawaken. It would be an honour to help you kill them, they are nothing but pure evil."

Merlin grins. "Meet us on the training ground, we'll be leaving soon."

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Kara walked up the steps to the tower, she was helping to prepare for the druid meeting later on. She herself was a druid and had been consumed by hatred until Merlin had saved her from execution in Camelot a couple of years ago. He had promised her one day magic would be free, it wasn't until he had taken her to Iseldir, that she found out he was Emrys.

He alone had saved her from a life filled with hate and vengeance. She had been so over joyed when Merlin had created the land she was now free in. He had kept his promise, magic was free here and all those with magic had come here from all the five kingdoms. Some had even come from the lands beyond the five kingdoms to offer their skills and knowledge and to be free and among their kin.

There were many here who didn't have magic, but had family who were or had been forced to flee their homes after being accused of sorcerer. Merlin really had saved the lives of many and the kingdom even though it had been created only a couple of days ago, was in order and stronger than would be believed.

Kara suddenly crashed into someone, only for them to grab her arm to stop her from falling.

"You should really watch where you are going, Kara." A voice laughs. "I may be skinny, but I'm not that hard to miss."

Kara looked up and grinned. "Merlin! How are you? I heard you have an apprentice now, Terrance I believe his name was."

Merlin smiled. "Yeah, Terrance is with my mother and Alice at the moment. He wasn't feeling to well after seeing the killing of the deer."

Gilli shudders. "I nearly lost my meal after seeing that. I'm surprised Terrance hasn't gone into shock."

Kara smiled. "I will go and visit him later. Once the druid meeting is over, I'm surprised you are not getting ready, Merlin. You are the druid king after all."

Merlin shook his head. "No, we are about to set out and hunt down some change-wings. We were wondering if you would be up to helping us?"

"I would love too," Kara smiled. "Change-wings are evil creatures. It would be a great good getting rid of them before they can do any real harm."

Merlin grinned. "Meet us on the training field. We'll be leaving soon."

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**Hey all, hope you liked that chapter. For all of you who wanted to see Merlin meeting Gwaine's mother, Merlin will be returning to see her where he will hopefully get some blackmail material on Gwaine 3:). So Merlin has got himself a new gang to hang around with and go out on adventures with. As you may know change-wings are a type of dragon from 'How to train your dragon' in this story they are ****not**** dragons! Some of the Merlin new friend are people from Merlin series 5 but none of them are evil nor are they like the people from the series, I'm just using the names. Well hope you liked that, until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	22. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-one: Beauty and the beast part 2 and the witch finder.

Arthur sat apart from the group slightly, he was still in a bad mood. Everyone seemed to find it so funny that Uthur had married a troll, a creature of magic he so hated. Even Gaius was laughing, this was the perfect chance after all when it happened he and Merlin hadn't really had the chance to laugh, they had been too busy trying to save Uthur from the enchantment. Arthur was starting to relies that Merlin told the truth about a lot of things and yet not one listened to him and thought he was mad. Arthur glanced over at where everyone else was sitting they seemed to be having a good laugh about what had happened.

Taliesin coughed to get everyone attention. "It time to watch the next adventure."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"I have to feel sorry for Merlin," Gwen mutters. "Imagine having people hunting you down like that. All because he knew the truth about Katrina being a troll."

Isolde nodes. "What would have happened if he had been caught?"

"He would have been killed," Gaius answers. "Katrina would not have let him live, knowing he knew the truth and had the power to stop her."

"Good thing Arthur knew where his was then," Gwaine muttered. "If the guards had found him, he would never have got away."

Percival nodes. "So Arthur has saved Merlin's life, what is it? Twice now? You really have some catching up to do."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I didn't know he had saved my life that many times. I suppose I will have to say thank you next time we see each other."

Leon shakes his head. "Our guards really are…. Well…. We really need to work on them. Merlin is always getting past them."

Elyan shakes his head. "No, it's good they are that bad. If they were good Merlin would get caught, or be forced to use magic on them."

"I bet lying to your father like that was hard." Tristan muttered. "I mean he quite clearly insulted you twice and so did the lady Katrina."

Arthur sighs. "I know when my pride isn't important."

Gwaine snorts. "Of course you do."

Gwen suddenly goes a bit green. "Horse dung, she was covering herself in horse dung."

Arthur puts an arm around Gwen shoulders. "You have to feel sorry for Leon, I remember he had to go to a council meeting with her sitting in a pile of it."

Gwen grins at Leon. "Is that true?"

Leon nodes. "I don't know how any of us made it through that meeting. The smell, good god the spell of it. I'm surprised no one passed out."

"You do realise Gwen, that Merlin doesn't need to out run anyone." Gwaine grins.

Gwen glares at him. "He is my best friend! I had every right to be worried about him. Uthur guards would have killed him or dragged him back to be killed."

"That was one good hiding place though." Elyan mutter. "The guards would never have checked it."

"Merlin is an idiot," Arthur growls. "He stayed in the city, while ever guard was looking for him…. And he still managed to spy on the lady Katrina."

"No," Percival mutters. "It proves how cleaver Merlin is. He managed to outwit all the guards and still spy on someone without them knowing he was even there."

"Yeah," Gwaine laughs. "It wasn't like there was much to outwit. I don't think the all guards have a brain cell between them."

Leon coughs. "I'm head of the guard as well as a knight you know."

"My point precisely." Gwaine grins.

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"She really did have a lot of control over him, didn't she?" Gwen mutters. "Such greed!"

"Trolls crave riches and power more than anything," Gaius explains. "The enchantment she placed on Uthur was a strong one. It had to be, Uthur was quite strong minded."

"Higher taxes?" Tristan asks. "The king did must known most of his people wouldn't be able to pay that."

"It was fair to say," Gaius muttered. "That the king wasn't in his right mind at the time."

Gwaine grins. "And Merlin is off sneaking around again, he magic really does come in handy."

Gaius smiled. "Without Merlin and his ability to sneak around and not follow orders, Camelot would be on big trouble."

Percival smiles. "And Merlin came up with the plan to expose Lady Katrina. He really isn't as stupid as he acts."

Elyan raises an eyebrow. "Is what Uthur said true, did he treat you like he did his men?"

Arthur nodes. "For a long time I didn't think he cared about me. I guess it was due to the guilt he felt about my mother's death."

Gwen goes green as she listened to the list of ingredients. "I can't believe Merlin tried that. How was he not sick?"

Gaius smiled. "The things that boy does for the good of the kingdom."

"And once again Merlin gets past the guards." Gwaine laughs.

Leon shakes his head. "How did they not notice Merlin hiding, he was right there."

"More to the point," Isolde mutters. "How did Jonas not notice Merlin hiding? Or Katrina? He was right next to them."

"Well least Jonas heard the door shut." Elyan muttered. "It makes them look a little less stupid."

Gwen smiles as she turned to Arthur. "I'm glad you stood up for that man like that. That's why the people love you."

"Katrina really hated you didn't she?" Gwaine mutters. "She really was making you look bad."

"Thanks, Gwaine." Arthur mutters.

"So it seems some of Merlin's wisdom has rubbed off on you Arthur." Percival smiles. "You stood up for what you believed to be right, just like what Merlin would have done."

Leon shakes his head. "It must have been hard, going against your father like that."

Arthur nodes. "He was wrong."

"Who, in their right mind, would make that troll heir to the throne?" Gwaine mutters.

"You forget Gwaine, that the king was not in his right mind." Gaius answers.

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"So it seems you Gwen have taken Merlin places, while he was sneaking around saving the day." Gwaine grins. "It usually Merlin who gives the 'you're worth it' speeches."

Gwen glares at Gwaine for a moment. "There was no one else who could have said it and it needed to be said."

"Your father made it rather public, didn't he?" Percival mutters. "Declaring you no longer heir to the throne like that, in front of the whole council."

Leon shudders. "I feel bad for not saying anything. The only one who spoke up in Arthur's defence was Gaius."

Gaius raises an eyebrow. "It didn't help that you were the first one to start clapping."

Arthur smiled slightly. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past."

Elyan shakes his head. "It won't be for long, as soon as Gwaine goes to the next tavern, the whole kingdom will know about."

Gwaine laughs. "It is a good story…. Merlin must really like that balcony overlooking the great hall. It seems to be the place he likes hiding."

"He's an idiot." Arthur mutters.

Elyan grinned. "Both you and Merlin knew what was about to happen. Those knowing and victorious smiles, I have seen them to many times before."

"And yet you never noticed what they were linked too, sometimes I believe Merlin uses his magic so openly everyone refuses to believe it is magic." Gaius mutters. "That boy."

"Hahaha," Gwaine laughs. "Arthur finally noticed that something wasn't right."

"She would have got away if it wasn't for Merlin and his magic." Elyan grinned.

"Does Merlin have a death wish?" Arthur asked. "He's hiding in the same room as the people who would more than happily kill him."

Gwen laughs, as Katrina turned into a troll. "The looks on your faces." She finally manages to gasp out. It wasn't long before the other joined in.

Arthur just stood there glaring at them. "It isn't funny, she was heir to the throne!"

"Oh god," Gwaine mutters. "Imagine if they actually did it."

Everyone freezes and turns to look at Gwaine with expressions that varied from disgust to horror to shock.

"Thanks Gwaine," Elyan muttered. "I now can't get that picture out my head."

"Just sayin'." Gwaine mutters.

"Well don't 'Just sayin''." Leon snaps, a look of horror still on his face.

Gwen smiles. "I bet you really had fun, trying to explain to Uthur that his wife was a troll."

Leon shakes his head. "It was worse than that time you made me wear a dress."

Everyone turns to look at Leon.

"What was that Leon?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing." Leon quickly answered. "Nothing at all."

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"Magic books?" Arthur asked.

Gaius nodes. "Merlin did have more than one, but many were destroyed over the years. All the times Merlin was accused of sorcery the books given as evidence were his."

"And so we once again see the dragon and Merlin sneaking past the guards." Gwaine grins. "Merlin really is making the guards look bad."

Elyan smiled. "Merlin really didn't look impressed with the dragon did he?"

Gwaine grins. "Has a good sense of humour though."

"I wounded what Merlin does now," Gwen mutters. "Arthur killed the dragon, so who does Merlin go to with question neither he nor Gaius can answer."

"That I do not know the answer to," Gaius quickly lies. "But whoever it is we must be grateful."

Arthur thinks for a moment. "Its Dragoon isn't it?"

"I couldn't say." Gaius answers.

"Well a good plan that, 'Uthur must see his son die'." Tristan mutters. "Because that could go wrong in hundreds of ways."

Arthur shakes his head. "I must say I was surprised to find Merlin under my bed."

"So Merlin never got the chance to say I told you so." Gwaine mutters. "What a shame."

Percival laughs. "Between you and Merlin, Gaius, I don't know how you ever convinced Arthur to go along with that plan."

Gaius smiled. "If he hadn't taken it, we could always have used Merlin's method. He really doesn't respect royals that boy."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "Do I even want to know?"

"That must have hurt," Leon winced. "That vase looked rather heavy."

Arthur stares at Leon in disbelieve. "Does the fact the antidote to stop me from dying being destroyed, escape your notice?"

Elyan shakes his head. "You're still alive are you not? So therefore Merlin must have saved you."

Arthur just shakes his head. "Yet you all panic when Merlin almost dies."

"Well yeah," Percival answers. "Merlin doesn't have someone to save him, like we all have Merlin. Merlin is on his own."

Arthur just rolled his eyes. "Merlin is always fine."

"Don't believe that," Gaius mutters. "Merlin can still get hurt."

"And Merlin once again saves the day." Gwaine grins. "And he doesn't even get a hug."

"I killed the troll!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Yeah, only because Merlin used magic to trip it." Isolde answers.

"I don't think Arthur can take much more of this," Elyan mutters to Leon and Percival. "He ego is really getting a beating here."

Percival and Leon node. "And we have Merlin to thank."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"Merlin really is an idiot." Arthur mutters. "Who in their right mind creates a smoke horse within a mile of Camelot? I'm surprised the whole city didn't see that!"

"It was beautiful though." Gwen smiles.

"Yes," Gaius mutters. "But that little trick almost cost Merlin his life."

Gwaine talks a drink of ale. "But how could that women have found it so scary? Like Gwen said it was beautiful, there was nothing evil about it!"

Gaius sighs. "People feared Uthur more than they did magic. By claiming to have seen the magic, it cleared they name."

"So Merlin could have claimed to have seen it, even though he caused it and the king would never have thought it was him." Elyan asks.

Gaius nodes. "Uthur believed that sorcerers would not turn against their own. After all he thought being they were all evil, they all worked together."

Percival looks around the group. "Who is the witch finder? Everyone had bad reactions to them."

Leon shakes his head. "The witch finder was feared by all. Even those without magic feared him. It was said he tortured people into confusing they had magic, he didn't not treat those he spoke with well."

Gaius nodes. "Aredian. He was not a pleasant man. How he could sense those with magic I do not know. But I am glad for what Merlin did."

"What did Merlin do?" Isolde asks.

"You will see, you will see." Gaius answers.

"He could have been a druid," Tristan mutters. "I know they can sense magic in people."

Arthur shakes his head. "If he was a druid he would not have turned against his own kind like that. Druids are honour bound to help those with magic, not hunt them down and kill them."

"Aredian had no honour." Gaius mutters.

"Well he look like a lovely fellow, doesn't he?" Gwaine mutters.

Gwen shakes he head. "He really did look scary."

"He could smell it!" Elyan exclaimed. "How the hell can you smell sorcery?"

Percival shakes his head. "He must have had some nerve to insult the king like that."

"You really didn't like him, did you Gaius?" Gwen mutters.

"He was an evil man," Gaius answers. "He did not care what people used sorcery for, he just had them killed regardless."

"Well he picked up on Merlin rather quickly." Leon mutters.

"He used a human skull as an ink pot!" Gwen exclaimed, sounding disgusted.

"Merlin is not as stupid as he looks," Arthur sighed. "I know a lot of people who wouldn't have been able to answers those questions as well as Merlin did. He was trying to trick Merlin into saying something wrong."

"He did say something wrong," Percival mutters. "He said he couldn't prove it wasn't him who did the magic."

"Well he couldn't could he, so he answered the question truthfully." Elyan answers. "If Aredian thought he was answering all questions truthfully he might have though Merlin was telling the truth when he was lying."

"Hey, why are all the witnesses' women?" Percival asks. "I mean couldn't men see what they saw also?"

Gwaine laughs. "Toads coming out a sorcerer's mouth! Why would any sorcerer do that?"

"Why was Morgana so scared, he wouldn't risk accusing the kinds ward would he?" Tristan asks.

Isolde nodes. "I'd be more worried about Merlin or you Gaius."

"I can see why Merlin acting like an idiot helped him." Percival mutters. "No one believed it was him."

"There is method to the madness." Gwaine mutters. "And trust Leon to find the evidence that would get Merlin killed."

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Gwen smiled at Gaius. "It was good of you to take the blame for Merlin."

Gaius smiles slightly. "Merlin would have done the same for any of us. And it was my duty as his guardian to protect him."

"I still can't believe you practiced magic," Arthur mutters. "I have even seen you use it."

Taliesin shakes his head. "That is because you still believe all those who use magic are evil, until you stop believing that, you will never truly understand the greatness magic can do."

"What a way to treat an old man though." Gwaine mutters. "I can see why people never lasted long against him, I mean no food or water, no one would last long. If that's how he treated an old man I would hate to see how he treated someone much stronger and younger."

Elyan nodes. "I'm surprised you lasted so long Gaius."

Gaius sighs. "I would die for Merlin."

Percival smiles. "Well least he went to the dragon for help."

"Not that the dragon was any help." Gwaine snorts.

"And so he decides to question Morgana," Leon mutters. "I'm sure the king wouldn't had been pleased if he found out."

"I have never seen Morgana look so frightened." Arthur mutters. "I'm surprised she didn't just admit she had magic out of fear."

"It was brave what you did, Gaius" Isolde smiled. "Confessing to save Merlin and Morgana."

Gaius smiled. "I cared about the both dearly."

"I would have thought Uthur would have had more faith in you Gaius," Tristan mutters. "If he knew of how Aredian got information from people, he must have known he could force you to say it."

"Uthur was blind where sorcerers were concerned, even when it came to friends and family." Gaius answers.

"It must have been hard for Merlin," Gwen muttered. "Knowing it was his fault and that you would burn, because of what he did."

Gaius smiles slightly. "Merlin would never have forgiven himself if I had died. I hate to think what he would have done, Merlin is capable of doing things when he is angry that he would never do when he is not. His magic and his emotions are closely linked, when he is angry he has less control over his magic and it can lash out and do harm."

"Well I am glad he saved you," Gwen mutters. "He wouldn't have been the only one angry."

"So," Gwaine mutter. "That bracelet didn't belong to either of you?"

Gaius shakes his head. "It was not mine and it wasn't Merlin's. I had thought it was Merlin's, he does seem to have a habit of collecting magical items, but as it turned out it wasn't."

"Since when does Merlin ever listen to orders?" Elyan laughs. "Telling Merlin not to do something, is giving him all the more reason to do it."

Percival grinned. "Well let's hope Merlin can prove Aredian planted the bracelet. Or otherwise I fear to know how Merlin stopped you burning."

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"So your confession was for nothing," Gwaine mutters. "You have to feel sorry for Merlin and Morgana, it couldn't have been fun knowing they were next on the list to die."

"Shut up, Gwaine," Arthur snaps. "You are not helping."

Elyan turns and glances at his sister. "Do you always go running to Merlin when something is wrong?"

Gwen smiled. "Merlin always helps, no matter what. He'll help anyone too. Plus whenever I have gone to Merlin for help things always work out okay."

Gwaine laughs. "And Merlin is off sneaking into other peoples rooms once more. He would make an excellent spy."

"Yeah, but if it wasn't for his magic," Percival mutters. "He would get into a lot of trouble."

"Ironic that," Leon mutter. "The one thing he should get in trouble for, is the one thing that stops him getting in trouble."

"He found some petals," Elyan exclaimed. "How does that prove he was lying?"

"Trust Merlin not to shut the cupboard door." Arthur rolls his eyes.

"Well least he wasn't hiding behind the curtain." Gwaine grins.

"Yeah," Elyan mutters. "He was under the bed."

Percival nodes. "You would have thought Aredian would have looked better."

Leon shakes his head. "No, he knew everyone feared him. So why would someone risk their neck sneaking around in his chambers."

"Well he obviously hadn't meet someone like Merlin before." Gwaine laughs.

Gwen smiles. "Merlin is cleaver, he knew how Aredian worked. I would never have been able to find things out like Merlin did."

"You worked out what they all had in common," Arthur answers. "And how they would have got the plant."

"Yes, but Merlin found the plant and worked out what they were seeing was visions. He also worked out Aredian wouldn't have given it directly to them. It was also Merlin who convinced him to speak up about what Aredian had forced him to do." Gwen replies.

"Eye drops," Gwaine grins. "Quite cleaver. Most women I know use them to make their eyes brighter, my mother used to use them."

"Still that wouldn't be enough proof for Uthur, like Gwen said." Isolde mutters. "What happened that, proved Aredian was planting evidence?"

Gwen shakes her head. "I don't know, but I'm sure Merlin had something to do with it."

"Doesn't he always." Tristan mutters.

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"And so Merlin once again sneaks around," Gwaine laughs. "What did that spell do anyway?"

Gaius smiled. "You will see, you will see."

"What did he do to Aredian?" Arthur asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

Gaius smiled. "You will see."

Gwaine smiled. "Knowing Merlin, it was something truly brilliant."

"It must have been horrible coming that close to being executed." Elyan muttered. "Being burned to death of all things."

Gaius smiled sadly. "I was truly glad Merlin saved me."

"Well good thing Gwen challenged Arthur, or Gaius would have burned." Percival smiles.

Elyan nodes. "Good thing he listened too."

"So now we know what that spell was for," Gwaine grinned. "Tut tut Merlin, planting evidence like that."

Everyone starts laughing as Aredian coughs up a toad.

"Merlin is truly brilliant." Gwaine laughs. "That is the best spell he's done yet."

Arthur shakes his head. "Only Merlin."

"He saved Morgana life," Gwen smiles slightly. "How did no one notice that spell, his hand steamed."

"And the mightly Uthur Pendragon says sorry to a lowly peasant like Gaius." Gwaine grins. "Miracles do happen."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "Don't mock it, he had every right to be sorry."

"As thick as thieves, you and Merlin, Gaius." Isolde smiles. "As thick as thieves."

Gaius smiled. "The toad was a step to far, but it was funny and we have had many a laugh about it."

Gwen smiled. "Merlin is truly one of a kind."

Gwaine grinned. "With a wicked sense of humour, that was brilliant. Think of all the pranks me and Merlin could have pulled, if he had told me."

"I glad he didn't tell you then," Percival mutters. "You're pranks are the worst at the best of time."

"I think you'll find they're the best, Percy." Gwaine grins.

Elyan and Leon just roll their eyes.

**Hey thanks for the reviews. The next chapter should be up soon. Hope you liked that. The way I'm writing it has changed aging slightly, they are speaking as they are watching it, so sorry if some of it suddenly changes from one topic from the next. You've all watched the show so it shouldn't be too hard to work out what they are speaking about :) **

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	23. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-two: You can't fight what you can't part 2.

Daegal quickly rushed up to Alice's chambers, he graded a bag and started gathering the things he may need, bandages, herbs and creams. The last time he and Merlin had been outside the kingdom borders, Merlin had been pushed off a cliff and caught by a patrol from Camelot and bandits. There was no way this was going to end well. As Daegal gathers up the last few things he needed, he notices a sword hanging by the door and quickly grabs it. He was not skilled with a sword but he could fight to a standard level, enough to keep him alive anyway. After all throwing knives was only good at long range. Daegal couldn't help but wonder who else was going to be on this team, Merlin and Gilli were putting together.

"Going out, are you?" Alice asks from behind him.

Daegal spins round. "Yeah, Merlin asked for some help…. You don't mind if I take this sword, do you? It's just where Merlin goes, trouble follows."

Alice smiled. "Take it, I have no need for it. Gaius was forever telling me, Merlin could get in to trouble not matter where he goes. So I'll wish good luck."

Daegal sighs with relief. "Thank you."

"Tell Merlin, that he simply has to enchant your weapons not forge them from magic." Alice advised. "He'll know what I mean, don't worry."

Daegal nodes. "Thank you, once again. We will hopefully be back before nightfall."

Alice nodes. "I will have food ready…. Oh and tell Merlin, we need to talk about Terrance later."

Daegal nodes and walks out the door. Tapping the hilt of the knife strapped to his belt.

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Bercilak pulled on his light amour. He was glad Merlin had asked him for help, since he had arrived here Merlin was the only one he could say he was friends with. But everyone seemed to be friends with Merlin, it was almost like people were drawn to him. People also seemed to trust him quickly, but then Merlin always trusted people in return. That worried Bercilak to no end, his trust of people could be his down fall. He could be lead into traps, or tricked into doing something he would never normally do. Merlin's power was great, many would try and use Merlin.

"Hey, Bercilak." A voice behind him purrs.

Bercilak turns and comes face to face with a young women. "My lady."

The women rolls her eyes. "My love, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

Bercilak smiles. "But you are my lady, you are mine and I am yours."

"Yes, but I am only a lady in Avalon. The same as you are only a knight in Avalon."

"You are the lady of the castle," Bercilak smiles. "And I am the green knight. But you will always be my lady."

She smiles slightly. "Do you miss Avalon, my love?"

Bercilak smiles. "I do, but we have a life here. I believe one day we will be called back to Avalon, but I enjoy my life here. I am in no hurry to return."

"Well, you better be going, you have to meet Merlin on the training field soon."

"You know Merlin?"

"Of course I do, who do you think saved me from Uthur?"

"That was Merlin?" Bercilak asks.

His love nodes. "I had done no wrong, so he saved me from the flames. He also knows I am a lady of Avalon, I'm not sure if he knows who you are."

Bercilak smiles. "Well, I am all the more honoured he asked for my help."

She laughed. "Change-wings are dangerous creature, so be careful, my love. Here take this as a token for luck." She hands him a piece of green silk.

"Thank you, my lady." Bercilak bows, kissing her hand and taking the silk.

She smiled. "Be safe, my love."

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Eira pulled her flame coloured hair back into a pony tail. She growled as she noticed her sword wasn't sharp. She and Gilli had been friends for a while, they had meet not long after Gilli had been to Camelot to fight in a tournament there. She had beaten him in a swords fight, it didn't take much skill to beat Gilli, he relied on his magic ring far too much. He had trained with her for a while, she had taught him how to use his magic better too. Gilli would never admit she beat him in a sword fight though, men and their pride, she sighed. To be honest she was pleased Gilli had come to her to ask for help, it had been too long since she had last been on a hunt.

"Eira?" A voice called, as the front door to her house opened.

Eira turned to find a young women standing there. "Sister." She greets.

The young women smiled. "I trust you have everything."

Eira rolls her eyes. "Of course I do. We are only going to hunt some change-wings."

Her sister nodes. "Well make sure you are back in time for the coven meeting tonight. It would be a shame if you missed it."

"If I miss it, I miss it, sister." Eira replies. "Plus I should be back in time. Some of the others need to get back in time for the druid meeting."

Eira's sister nodes. "Well good luck. Do you know who else is on this team?"

Eira shakes her head. "I only know Merlin and Gilli."

"Merlin? As in Merlin Emrys, king of the druids?"

"Yeah, I think so." Eira replies. "Why? Is it some big deal?"

"Merlin is king of the druids and he asked you for help! How is that not a big deal?"

Eira looks at her sister. "He's only human. Now if you don't mind I need to go, I would actually like to help them so I have to be there on time, so good day sister."

"Good luck, sister."

"Like I need it," Eira mutters. "It's Gilli who's going to need it."

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Sefa smiled as she picked up her long how. He father was in the chamber next door, so it shouldn't be too hard to sneak out. She had been pleased to be able to help Merlin out like this, they had meet quite a few times in the past. Merlin was always bringing people to their camp, he had saved from Uthur or Arthur. She knew by helping Merlin, she was going to help save the lives of many people. She had never heard of change-wings before, but she knew whatever they were, they couldn't be good. She picks up a couple of arrows that were lying around and added them to the ones in her quiver. As she slips out the door into the corridor as voice behind her stops her in her tracks.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Sefa turns around and comes face to face with her father. "Um, I'm meeting some friends."

"So why are you taking your long bow?"

"We are going outside the border, so I thought it was best I take a weapon."

"I have told you, Sefa, it is too dangerous to go outside the border. Camelot have many patrols in the woods close by. It is only the illusion we have casted, that stops them seeing our kingdom. It is too dangerous, I will not let you go."

"But, father, I will be with friends."

"Who?"

"Merlin, Gilli and a few other." Sefa quickly answers.

"Merlin?"

Sefa nodes. "It was he who asked me if I wanted to join him and the others."

"Well I guess if Emrys is with you, you will be safe. But you have to be back before the meeting starts. If you are not I will not be pleased, is that clear?"

"Yes father." Sefa mutters.

Sefa quickly turns and makes her way towards the training field, she was glad her father cared but sometimes he was just too over protective.

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Tyr yawned as he made his way out of the stables, he quickly headed to his home he shared with his mother. He looked around for any possible weapons, but luck was not on his side. There was nothing he could use as a weapon.

"Tyr, what are you doing home so early?" Tyr mother asks, sitting down at the table.

"A friend has asked for some help, so I came back early to find a weapon. We are traveling outside of the border."

Tyr mother nodes, as she sips her herbal tea. "I'm sure you can get a weapon from the training grounds…. What time will you be back?"

"We are aiming to get back before the druid meeting starts, some of us have to attend it," Tyr explains. "I'll make something to eat when I get back."

Tyr mother smiles. "No, no, it's okay, I'll make something. It just I can't help but worry about you, that's all, it is a mothers job to worry about her child."

Tyr smiles. "Do you need any herbs, I can pick some on the way back if you like?"

"No, no, it's okay. Just have fun okay?"

Tyr grins. "I will."

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Kara slipped down the halls of the tower towards the training ground. She had no family other than the druids who had taken her in, so she was staying on one of the rooms in the tower until somewhere else for her to stay was arranged. In her hand she carried a quarter staff, with a dagger blade stuck at one end. It was almost like a short spear, but was much stronger and easier to use in a fight at close range. It was the only weapon she had, it had been a gift from someone close to her before they died. The weapon its self was well balanced and easy to fight with, Kara had spent hours training with it.

"Kara." A voice behind her called.

"Iseldir." She replies with a bow.

"I have heard that Emrys sets out to kill the creature, is this correct?"

Kara nodes. "It is."

"Then tell him this, Mordred the dark only created nine creature."

Kara looks at Iseldir. "I will tell him."

Iseldir smiled. "Good luck, I hope all of you make it back alive."

"I hope so too." Kara replies, before turning and carrying on the way she was going.

Iseldir watched her go, Alator appeared beside him.

"Emrys will kill them, he has formed a strong group. There is hope for us yet." Alator explains.

"But is hope enough," Iseldir answers. "The druid council would aid Merlin Emrys, even if they died doing so. Yet the council that runs this kingdom, show him no respect or even listen to what he had to say."

Alator sighs. "The council fear him, he is powerful. But they are also jealous of that power, they fear Merlin will be to headstrong believing he can take on anything and endanger the lives of our people. They are yet to know him and learn what he stands for, in time they will come to respect him. Once they know him like you and I, they will take his words to heart and know he will never seek the power they fear he does."

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Merlin and Gilli stood on the training field, sharpening their weapons. They were both dressed in toughed leather armour and cloaks. Merlin as always had his scarf on, a dark blue to match his cloak. Gilli glanced at Merlin.

"So what they plan, then?"

"I thought it was you, who was coming up with a plan." Merlin answers. "This was your idea."

"Yeah, but you are the team leader," Gilli answers. "So you have to come up with the plan."

Merlin rolls his eyes. "Well first we need to track these creatures down. Which is going to be hard, but I have an idea that might work."

"And after that?"

"We'll think about that later." Merlin mutters. "But my plans always work…. In the end."

Gilli grins. "Well then this is just going to be an extreme hunting trip."

Merlin laughs. "Much more fun, than killing harmless, defenceless creatures for no reason."

"You will never truly be a royal will you? I pretty sure all royals doing hunting for sport."

"How many times do I have to tell you this, being king of a religious group is totally different to ruling a kingdom. Plus druids only hunt for food."

Gilli grins. "What do you think Arthur will do when he finds out you are king of the druids."

"I don't care as long as he doesn't kill me or hurt my people," Merlin answers. "I hope that in time, he will except magic and free it in his kingdom. Then I may be able to return to Camelot, sort of live in two places. I could life here for say four days a week and be in Camelot for the other three."

"But what if Arthur doesn't except magic and continues to kill our kind?"

Merlin looks at the floor for a moment. "Then Arthur isn't the friend I hoped and thought he was. When I saw him, early today, he wanted me to stay. But he hasn't freed magic. I cannot return to Camelot until magic is free."

"But will you still protect him?"

"Of course," Merlin answers. "He is the once and future king, but more importantly he is my friend. Many will no longer attack him, now we are free here. But there are others who still want him dead, those who follow Morgana and I will try my best to save and protect him."

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Kara was the first to arrive, she greeted Merlin with a hug and Gilli with a hand shake.

"Kara, Gilli. Gilli, Kara." Merlin quickly introduced them.

Before anyone else could say a word, Bercilak arrived.

"Bercilak!" Merlin grinned. "You know Gilli and this is Kara."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kara." Bercilak smiles shaking her hand. "I must say, interesting weapon, any good?"

Kara nodes. "It's the only weapon I fight with."

Next to arrive was Tyr.

"Merlin, Gilli, Kara." He greets.

Merlin grins. "This is Bercilak, Bercilak this is Tyr."

Next was Sefa.

"Merlin! Gilli! Kara! Tyr! Bercilak!" She greets pulling everyone into a hug.

Merlin was slightly surprised. "You know everyone here, I didn't think you knew Bercilak."

Sefa smiled. "He saved my life little over a year ago."

Merlin grinned. "Well that saved some time."

Daegal and Eira arrived at the same time, but from opposite directions.

Merlin grins. "Well Eira and Daegal, this is Tyr, Bercilak, Sefa and Kara, Gilli you already know. Everyone this is Eira and Daegal."

Once everyone had finished greeting each other, Merlin cleared his throat.

"From what I have just been told, if I enchant your weapons they will be able to kill these change-wings. Also there are only nine of them, so hopeful it shouldn't take us to long to kill them. I have an idea on how we can track them, but I'm not sure it will work."

"So what is the plan?" Gilli asks.

"Tyr here, can speak with all none magical animals. He knew about the change-wings because the animals told him. So therefore the animals know where the change-wings are, if the animals can help us we should be able to hunt them down. Change-wings like to stay in groups while they are not hunting, so if we are lucky we can get them all in one go."

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All eight of them stood in a clearing, Tyr had lead them here. Merlin glanced round the clearing was quite, too quite. He got the feeling he was being watched.

"Okay everyone," Merlin speaks up. "Whatever happens stay with someone. Do not get caught alone, make sure you have someone with you at all times. We still have no idea what we are up against. Once you have killed any of these creature, try and find the others and help."

Everyone nodes, suddenly Merlin sees something ripple out the corner of his eye. Kneeling down Merlin picks up a small rock and throws it. It hits something and falls to the ground, seconds later change-wings appear out of nowhere as they ripple into view. As the first one strikes, everyone drives out the way.

"Split up!" Merlin yells.

Merlin and Gilli runs towards the cover of the trees four change-wings hot on their heels. Behind them Bercilak and Kara rush down the path that lead them here, a single change-wing flying after them. Eira and Daegal dash of into the trees closely followed by two change-wings. Tyr and Sefa dive through the trees, two change-wings in tow. And so the hunter become the hunted.

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Sefa and Tyr duck behind a fallen tree as the first of the two change-wings flies over them. The second stops on the fallen tree above them looking round.

"What do we do now?" Sefa hisses. "We are at the wrong angle to kill the thing, it would see us before we even had the chance to stand up."

Tyr nodes. "We need to try and make it move. But without letting it know we are here."

Sefa slowly pulled her long bow from her back, trying to cause as little movement as possible. Change-wings were almost deaf, so noise wasn't too much of a problem unless you screamed of course. Tyr slowly drew the short sword he had been given by Bercilak, above them the change-wing moved forward, if it looked down now they wouldn't stand a chance. Through the trees Sefa spots the second change-wing making its way back towards them. Sefa quickly points it out to Tyr, who nodes.

"If you shot it," He mutters. "I'll take the one above us."

Sefa nodes. "We're going to have to do it at the same time, we can't risk one of these creatures getting away."

Tyr nodes. "On three... One... Two... Three!"

Sefa nodes and readies her long bow to fire and on three shots the change-wing throw the trees. The change-wing above them doesn't stand a chance as, Tyr swings his sword as he jumps to his feet. Sefa' arrow, hits the change-wing in the chest and straight through its heart. The enchantment Merlin casted on the arrow, causes it to burn with blue flame, which quickly engulfs the creature as it is hit. Tyr successful behead's the creature with a flaming blue blade, it's body bursts into flames and is reduced to a pile of ash in seconds.

Tyr smiled in relief. "That went better than expected."

Sefa nodes. "I doubt we would have been so lucky if we hadn't managed to catch them by surprise. Come on lets see if any of the others need help."

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Bercilak and Kara rushed down the path that had lead them to the clearing, behind them the change-wing hissed and tried to dive at them. But the path was too narrow for it to fly.

"We only have one following us." Kara yells, ducking under a low branch.

"Yeah, but we have nowhere to hide from it, it is to close. We are going to have to turn round and fight it."

"Not here, the path is too narrow for us to fight side by side."

"We should head back to the clearing," Bercilak answers. "That way we can fight it in the open."

"No, the area is large enough for it to fly. As soon as that thing gets in the air, we won't stand a chance."

"Then let's hope this path widens slightly, before we can't run any further." Bercilak answers.

Before Kara can answer a second change-wing dives towards them from the opening in the trees above them. Bercilak shoves Kara sideways into the undergrowth, leaving him to take the hit. He stabs his knife into the creatures' neck as it pins him to a tree, as the creature is engulfed by a blue flame and is reduced to ash, Bercilak collapses to the ground.

Kara jumps to her feet and rushes over to Bercilak, looking around the she sees the second change-wing vanish back the way they had come. Bercilak groans in pain, a mighty gash, was streaming blood just above his hip. Before Kara had a chance to move Daegal and Eira fall to their knees beside them. Daegal pulls out a healing crystal and holds it over Bercilak wound, the wound slowly heals, leaving it as no more than a scratch.

"Do you know where the change-wing went?" Eira asks. "We were attacked by two of them, but one got away."

"Bercilak killed it," Kara answers. "But the one we were being chased by got away."

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Daegal and Eira hide behind some trees, not far behind them were two change wings. Daegal glanced across at Eira who was breathing heavily, they had been sprinting for a good five minutes. They had unlucky chosen a path which lead out into field as far as the he could see and had been forced to circle round back to the forest, without the change-wings noticing and cutting them off. Daegal really hoped the others were having better luck. Eira lent backwards against the tree, breathing hard. She had never been forced to run so fast in all her life, to be honest she was better at cross country running. She was truly hoping these creature didn't find them anytime soon, she really didn't have the energy to fight them at the moment.

"Eira," Daegal mutters. "I think it's a good idea we try and kill them now. If we leave it too long they could vanish, once they are invisible again we won't stand a chance."

Eira nodes, her breathing slowly returning to normal. "I'm only good at fighting close range."

Daegal nodes. "I can possibly take one out with a knife, that should get the others attention and draw it to us."

Eira grins. "And I kill the other."

Daegal nodes. "That's the plan."

Taking a deep breath Daegal grips the hilt of his knife and steps out from behind the tree and takes aim. The change-wing closest to them notices him just as he throwers the knife, it hits it in the side of the neck, but isn't enough to kill it. The second change-wing takes to the air and flies off, whilst the first charges towards them. Eira grip her sword and readies herself, Daegal runs drawing the creature past her and as the creature passes, she drives her sword deep into its side. Killing it, as Daegal helps her to her feet, she looks round.

"We have to go after the second one, let's go!"

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Gilli runs sword in hand, not far behind him is Merlin. As the two of them crash through the trees, they don't even bother looking over their shoulders. Behind them are four change-wings, Merlin knew it was just his luck that they got most of them chasing after them. Gilli on the other had didn't really care just as long as they got out of this alive. Merlin missed working for Arthur least the worst they were chased by were bandits, this was far worse and a lot harder to kill. He couldn't just drop tree branches on them or make them drop their weapons. Gilli suddenly skidded to a halt as they made it into a small clearing at the edge of a high land cliff. Merlin unable to stop in time crashes into Gilli, nearly sending them both over the edge of the cliff.

"Oh crap." Merlin mutters. "This is not good. I'm sure the fates hate me."

Gilli turns around. "We have company."

Merlin spins round and is faced with four hungry looking change-wings. "So looks like we could be dinner if we are not careful."

Gilli grins. "Well I'm not planning on being dinner, so I hope these creature like the taste of steel, because it's all they're getting."

Merlin grins and draws Excalibur, if Arthur wasn't going to fight with it, Merlin might as well use it. "That's enchanted steel, Gilli."

Gilli almost laughed. "Yeah, because that's going to taste so different."

Merlin grinned, griping Excalibur, ready for the first strike. "I wouldn't know I've never tried it."

The two of them slowly made their way forward and stood back to back in the centre of the small clearing.

"So what's the plan?" Gilli asks.

"You take the ones on the right, I'll take the ones on the left?"

"That's you plan?" Gilli exclaimed.

"Have you got any better ideas?" Merlin asks.

"No."

"Plus my plans always work."

Merlin swung Excalibur at the first change-wing, as soon as the sword hit the creature in burst blue flames before turning to ash. Merlin raised an eyebrow, as he ducked a seconds' tail. Gilli bought his sword down on the first creature neck, it was quickly engulfed a blur flames. He rolls out the way of a second change-wing attack and get to his feet.

Merlin yells out as a change-wing claws' ripe through the flesh of his right arm. He falls to he knees almost losing hold of Excalibur, he throws his sword forward with a flash of gold. The sword flies straight into the creatures' chest, killing it. Merlin watches as Gilli kills the second change-wing he was fighting. Gilli pulls a knife from his belt and throws it at the creature, it rears back in pain and roars at the sky, taking his chance Gilli runs forward and drives his sword into the creature chest. The creature wipes round, in pain, sending Gilli flying into a tree on the far side of the clearing, with such force it was bound to brake some ribs.

Merlin slowly gets to his feet, holding his injured arm. "I told you my plans always work."

Gilli smiles slightly, before muttering weakly. "You didn't say we'd get hurt though."

Merlin grins weakly and pulls off his scarf. "I knew I should have warn the red one." He mutters wrapping it around his injured arm, his magic had healed it slightly, it was no longer life threatening, but that didn't stop it hurting or bleeding.

"MERLIN! WATCH OUT!" Gilli yells, ignoring the pain it caused him, as a fifth change-wing, appears out of nowhere.

Merlin turned round and throws up his hand, but it does little to help. The change-wing hits the shield Merlin created with such force, Merlin falls backwards. Pain shots up Merlin's arm as the cuts are forced open, Merlin lets out a pained cry and loses hold on his magic. His magic sends the creature back across the clearing, but not before its claws tear though Merlin left shoulder, deep enough to hit bone. Merlin vision fades into darkness as the pain becomes unbearable. Gilli forces him self to his feet and grips his sword, the change-wing advances on him, but before it has chance to get any closer as sword appears through his chest. As the creature disappears in blue flames, Gilli smiles at the sight of Bercilak.

"Glad you made it." He mutters, before passing out.

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**Hey hoped you liked that chapter. So up next is the sins of the father and the lady of the lake, it should be up in the next couple of days. Yeah I know Merlin and Gilli were the only ones who got injured quite badly, but they were fighting five change-wings, everyone else only had to face one or two. Don't worry none of them are going to die, yet. Leave a review, until next time, **

**Blessed be, **

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	24. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-three: The sins of the father and the lady of the lake.

Arthur smiled, as the others slowly sat down ready to watch some more of Merlin adventures. It was about three hours after dawn and everyone had just finished eating breakfast.

"Why are you so happy, princess?" Gwaine asked, glancing at him.

"No reason," Arthur answered. "I've just been thinking."

"Wouldn't want you to hurt you self so don't think too hard." Gwaine grins.

The other almost laugh, Arthur rolled his eyes, he couldn't help but notice how much he sounded like Merlin. Merlin had in truth, stopped by the caves last night and they had spent a couple of hours talking, hence Arthur's happy mood.

"Well," Taliesin speaks up. "It is time for us to begin."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"Let me guess," Elyan mutters. "Morgause is going to try and kill Arthur."

"It wouldn't surprise me if she does." Leon mutters. "She's tried before."

Percival nodes. "Do you think Merlin killed her? I mean we haven't seen her since the immortal army."

Gwaine shakes his head. "Morgana was taking her to the isle of the blessed, remember?"

"I believe Morgause was dying, Morgana would have used her as a blood sacrifice to open the veil." Gaius answers. "But I guess we'll find out whether that is true or not."

Gwen shivers. "The battle for Arthur soul, that cannot be good."

"Who's that knight?" Isolde asks. "Whoever they are they are good with a sword."

"Lucky," Tristan mutters. "They killed five knights, just as you were knighting five new ones."

Isolde smiles slightly. "Morgause, she's quite good with a sword."

Leon glances at Arthur. "You seemed quite surprised that she was a women."

Arthur nodes. "Women don't usually fight."

"Morgause was Morgana's half-sister," Gaius speaks up. "They had the same mother. Morgause was chosen by Nimueh and trained as a high priestess."

"And there goes Merlin with his good advice again," Gwaine grins. "But how does Merlin know about combat, sorcerers fight a lot different to what we do."

Gaius looks at them all as if they were stupid. "Merlin was Arthur's man servant, he had to learn about stuff like that."

Everyone nodes and looks at little I embarrassed they didn't think about that.

"You sent Merlin?" Percival asks. "You didn't know anything about the women. She could have killed him."

And so they watch the fight, Morgause wins.

Gwaine bursts out laughing. "Saved by a girl and beaten by a girl! And you tease Merlin about being saved by a girl!"

Arthur just growls. "For all we know she could have used magic."

"No Merlin would have sensed it," Gaius speaks up. "The only magic she used was the healing bracelet."

Percival smiled. "Even Merlin found it funny. Why has he never used it as blackmail?"

Elyan nodes. "None of us knew about it."

"I can see why Merlin never had to worry about Arthur finding out about his magic," Gwen smiles. "Morgause used it right in front of him and he didn't notice."

Arthur shakes his head. "I don't get how I kept missing it."

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"How could she have none your mother?" Elyan asks. "She doesn't look old enough."

"Morgauses's mother and Arthur's mother were good friends," Gaius answers. "Morgause would not have been old enough to know Arthur's mother. But she would have been told a lot by from Nimueh."

"Why was Uthur so worried?" Leon asks.

"She knew the truth of Arthur's birth, Uthur feared Arthur would find out." Gaius answers.

Gwaine laughs. "Merlin was most definitely enjoying the fact Arthur was beaten by a girl. And he used magic in front of you Gaius, how did you not notice."

"Merlin is strange," Gaius mutters. "I sometimes wonder about his mental health. So him suddenly acting strange is nothing to worry about."

"You needed more rope," Gwaine grins. "It could have been worse, that was quite a soft landing."

Arthur glared at him. "Don't say another word Gwaine."

"They so say horses are quite intelligent, you know?" Percival mutters.

"Yeah," Elyan answers. "But it does help the horse was enchanted."

"That had to hurt though, being thrown of a horse like that," Leon mutters. "I'm surprised he was okay. I've none people who have broken ribs and worse after that has happened."

"And yet Merlin still managed to save Arthur without him noticing." Gwaine grins.

"So Merlin never knew his father," Gwen mutters. "We should have guessed really, he never really spoke about his family or his past."

Gwaine shakes his head. "Merlin once told me he meet his father just before he died, so he knew his father if only for a couple of hours."

Arthur looked up. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"Merlin said Uthur hunted his father down after he escaped from Camelot. He said Uthur and his father were friends, Uthur followed him to his home village and his father was forced to flee to protect Hunith." Gwaine answers. "Looking at it now, his father must have been a sorcerer, so by telling you could have got him into a lot of trouble with Uthur."

"So my father ruined the lives of hundreds of people all because he could not live with the guilt." Arthur answers.

Gaius sighs. "If your father had not started the war on magic, Merlin would Bev have been born. Merlin's birth had been foreseen since the dawn of time, he would be born of the darkness which threatened the very magic of the earth and it time would help the once and future king unite the lands and return magic. Merlin was born to protect you, that alone is the only reason he was born, to protect you and save all those with magic."

Arthur takes a step back. "Merlin was only born because of what my father did?"

Gaius nodes. "Merlin is the saviour of magic. He is Emrys, a being of pure magic."

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Everyone looked at Gaius, who smiles slightly.

"You risked your life to save her." Gwen smiles. "You took quite a risk."

"Sometimes I wish I didn't, she has caused a lot of problem for Merlin and Camelot since you first met her. She was the one who trained Morgana to use her magic." Gaius answers. "But at the time I tried to save as many as I could."

Gwen smiled. "You did a good thing, saving people like that. It was not your fault Morgause choose to use her magic for evil."

Gaius shook his head. "Nimueh was the one who trained her. I should have known it was going to turn out like this."

They watched as Merlin and Arthur arrived at an old castle to meet Morgause.

"'And what would you know about magic, Merlin?' Good question Arthur," Gwaine laughs. "Like he would have answered that truthfully."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Gwaine."

"You would rather be killed than brake your word?" Elyan asks.

"I can see why Merlin is always complaining," Leon mutters. "You really do make it hard for him to save you all the time."

Arthur looked at Gaius. "So that was truly my mother I saw."

Gaius nodes. "It was, but she would never blame you for her, or your father. She made the deal with Nimueh knowing her life was the price."

Arthur nodes. "Merlin told me the same thing."

"You spoke with Merlin?" Gaius asks.

Arthur nodes. "Last night he appeared out of nowhere and he had a talk."

Gaius nodes. "Did he explain it to you?"

Arthur nodes. "He did."

"Trust Morgause to taunt him about it," Gwaine mutters. "It's like she wants him to hate his father."

Elyan nodes. "So what his mother said was only half true."

Gaius nodes. "Arthur's mother entered the deal knowing she would die. She gave her life knowing her son would live."

Percival shakes his head. "What about Morgana?"

Gaius sighs. "Morgana was the daughter Uthur had with another, out of marriage. Hence why her claim on the throne is not valid. Morgause and Morgana have the same mother, Morgause is Morgana half-sister, but is of no relation to Arthur."

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"Merlin really didn't like Uthur, did he?" Isolde mutters. "He doesn't show the man true respect. He always guarded around him."

Gaius smiled slightly. "Merlin never killed Uthur, but he would not go out of his way to harm him. He only saved Uthur because I asked him too, or to stop the pain it would cause Arthur."

Tristan looked at the fight Arthur and his father were having. "Uthur was a cruel man in many ways, what he did to those with magic who unforgivable. I can remember a lot of the things he did."

Gaius nodes. "It was a horrible time. I always feared Uthur would turn on me, like he did so many others."

"You really tried to kill your father?" Elyan asks in disbelief, he and his father had had disagreement but he would never have harmed him.

Arthur nodes. "I was angry and upset."

"Yeah but still he was your father." Percival mutters. "No matter what he did he loved you and cared for you."

"He murdered hundreds of interconnect people, all because he couldn't bare the guilt." Arthur defends. "All those people who died and were killed, most had done nothing wrong. I followed by father orders and have killed many druids, people who are peaceful and people who are my best friend's people. How Merlin can even look at me knowing that, I don't know. What my father did was unforgivable, but I know he thought it was best, but it wasn't."

"You seemed quite shocked, Gaius." Gwen mutters. "That Merlin said Morgause was lying."

"I was, he knew it to be true. But to stop Arthur from killing his father he doomed himself and his kin to suffer once more at the hands of Uthur. Merlin will always bare that guilt, that he could have saved all those he died since that day. But he did what he thought was right at the time. You claim that it is hard to make decisions that will affect the lives of your people. Merlin has to do the same, if Merlin makes the wrong choice hundreds of his kind will die. Like when he sent Morgana to the druids, many died then. Merlin has to makes choices which shape the future in a much bigger way than you could ever dream of. He is a legend in the making."

"That must have hurt," Leon muttered. "Being thanked for condemning his own kind and kin. How Merlin put up with you while you said all those things about him and his people, I'll never know."

Arthur shakes his head. "I have many things to tell him I'm sorry for, that being one of them."

Gwaine grinned. "Bet Merlin had a heart attack finding the king in his home. The one person who would kill him if he ever found out who he was."

Percival nodes. "Bet Merlin hated being left in the same room as him alone."

Elyan shivered. "Rather him than me, I was scared of him I don't even have magic."

"Least the king thanked him." Gwen mutters.

Isolde nodes. "But also told him he was fighting his own kind."

"Yet he threaten to hang him," Tristan mutters. "What a way to say thank you."

Gaius smiled. "Merlin really didn't like that. I was surprised myself."

Arthur smiled. "He stopped me killing my father knowing I could never have lived with myself."

"Nimueh seemed quite shocked to see was Uthur was still alive." Elyan smiled. "It could have been much worse if she knew Merlin was responsible for it."

Everyone nodes, wondering just how much Merlin was willing to sacrifice to save them all.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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"He doesn't look like a very nice man." Gwen mutters.

"He was a bounty hunter," Gaius explained. "He would catch those with magic and sell them to the king."

"That poor girl," Isolde mutters. "How could someone do that? Imagine what her family must feel like."

"She obviously liked Merlin," Gwaine grinned. "She didn't even move when Gaius walked past."

Gaius smiled sadly remembering what happened. "She did." He whispered but no one heard.

"Merlin really did seem surprised about that didn't he?" Leon mutters.

Gaius nodes. "It was the first time he had seen that happen."

"Why do I get the feeling Merlin is going to help her?" Percival mutters.

"Because it's Merlin," Arthur answers. "He the only person stupid enough to help her."

They watched as Merlin sneaked out and down into the lower town. He checked the tavern before going to the cage.

"He should really be more careful with his magic." Gaius mutters. "Anyone could have seen that."

"And they nearly got court." Elyan sighs. "I would have hated to think what would have happened if they had been court."

Gwaine grins. "I bet that guy had an awful headache after that."

Leon shakes his head. "He needs to be more careful."

"I think this is the most amount of times I've seen Merlin use his magic," Arthur mutters. "It is usually only one or two spells, so far he cast about four."

"She seemed surprised Merlin helped her." Gwen mutters. "But Merlin would help anyone."

Gaius smiles. "He was right though, it could have been him in that cage. If anyone had found out in his home village, that could have been him."

"Freya!" Isolde exclaimed, turning to Gaius. "She's…."

Gaius nodes. "She was."

"She was what?" Arthur asks.

Gaius just shakes his head. "You'll see."

"Merlin is so kind though," Gwen smiles. "A true gentleman, he gave her his jacket."

"And so Merlin steals Arthur food," Tristan smiles. "He really must be the worst servant. He insults you and steals your food. For a girl."

Arthur rolls his eyes, belfry yelling. "I am not fat!"

Everyone laughs.

"He used magic to heat your bath water," Leon mutters. "I mean talk about taking a risk."

Gwen turn to Arthur. "That wasn't very nice, throwing water over him like that. He could have caught a cold, then you would have had an ill servant."

"She was cursed?" Tristan asks.

Gaius nodes. "She was, but I don't know who by or why."

"Good thing Merlin wasn't recognised," Elyan mutters. "Imagine what Uthur would have done to him."

Percival shakes his head. "Merlin is too clever to get court. I'm sure he would be able to lie his way out of it."

Gwen smiles. "He must have been so happy to be able to use his magic freely in front of someone like that."

"A druid," Gwaine smiles. "It's just Merlin's luck."

"How so?" Arthur asks.

"Could you imagine if he fell in love with someone who didn't have magic?"

"He didn't love her," Arthur mutters. "He just helped her."

Gwaine shakes his head. "He loved her, of that I am sure. He once spoke of a women he loved, when I asked him why he was never interested in anyone. I'm sure this is her."

"Wow," Gwen mutters. "That's beautiful."

Isolde nodes. "Magic can do so many pretty things."

Tristan nodes. "His magic is powerful, he learnt it so quickly."

Gaius nodes. "Magic is second nature to him."

"You didn't believe him do you Gaius?" Elyan smiled.

Gaius smiled. "I didn't. But I am glad he helped people like her."

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"Stealing Arthur food aging, with magic," Gwaine laughs. "How did you never notice?"

Arthur rolls his eyes. "He's so annoying, how I ever put up with him…."

Percival grins. "Good catching though."

"Oh god," Gwen mutters. "He got caught by the bounty hunter."

Elyan nodes. "This can't end well."

Leon sighs with relief. "Good thing Arthur saved him then."

"I knew he stole my food." Arthur mutters. "I knew it."

Gwaine laughs. "But you didn't know how."

Gwen laughs. "I love how you actually checked to see if you were fat."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "I am not fat."

Gwen sighs. "Look at the two of them. They are such a good couple, I'm so glad he found someone. It's just a shame he never trusted me enough to meet her."

Gaius smiles sadly, Isolde and Tristan share a look, they all knew she was dead. But only one of them knew why.

Gwen just keeps on smiling. "Look at the two of them, they are so sweet."

Elyan grins. "So he has a girl."

"I wounded if we will be able to meet her." Percival mutters.

Leon shakes his head. "I think it more whether she wants to meet us…. We are people who hunt down her kind."

Arthur shivers slightly. "I remember those attacks, it was the girl, Freya, she turned into a beast at night and killed people."

"She was cursed Arthur," Gaius speaks up. "She didn't have a choice."

Gwen laughs. "Trust him to create a rose."

Gwaine smirks. "Bet that was handy when chatting up the ladies."

Elyan rolls his eyes. "He used magic, he couldn't just do it for anyone."

"Least they didn't get caught," Leon mutters. "You would have thought he would have looked better, I mean Freya was worth a lot of money to him."

"Oh my god," Gwen exclaimed. "They kissed."

Arthur smiled slightly. "So he really did love her."

"Merlin was going to leave Camelot!" Gwaine exclaimed. "What happened? Why was he still there?"

"You'll see." Gaius answers.

"So that's why he was stealing a dress," Gwen mutters. "I never believed that reason he gave."

Elyan laughs. "I can't believe Arthur thought he was cross dressing or something equally ridicules."

"Poor Freya," Gwen mutters. "Cursed to turn into such a horrible creature."

Gaius nodes. "But that didn't change what Merlin thought of her. He still loved her, he always will."

Gwen stared at Gaius. "How could you do that? Tell Uthur, when you knew how much Freya meant to Merlin."

Gaius shakes his head. "I did what I believed to be right, at the time I had no idea what she meant to Merlin. I just thought he was helping her, had I known they were in love I would have helped them escape."

"He still believed he was a monster?" Percival asks.

Gaius nodes. "I think he still does sometimes."

"How could he think that, after all the good things he has done?" Elyan asks.

"Merlin has done many good things, but by doing what he believes is right has killed many." Gaius answers. "You are yet to see some of the things he has done, which have killed a great many people. Maybe them you will understand why he feels that way."

"Well least she killed the bounty hunter," Gwaine mutters. "It stopped him from sending more people to their deaths."

Gwen glares at Arthur. "Why couldn't you have let her go?"

"She was a danger to Camelot." Arthur answers.

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"And Merlin nearly killed Arthur and some knights," Gwaine grins. "He must have truly loved her."

Arthur glares at him. "If I hadn't have moved, I would have died."

"Poor girl," Percival mutters. "Cursed to kill forever more because a man attacked her."

Leon nodes. "Poor Merlin, maybe if he had had more time he could have lifted the curse."

"He carried her all the way to the lake?" Arthur asked. "I didn't think Merlin was that strong."

Gwen wiped the tears away. "Why did Merlin never tell us? His love died in his arms and he never told us!"

Isolde gripped Tristan hand, tears threatening to fall. "He has suffered so much and yet he still has a kind heart."

Gwen hugs Gaius as the tears stream down her face, Gaius rubs her back.

Arthur looks at the screen a look of sadness on his face. "Why didn't he tell me the truth?"

"You did just kill his girlfriend." Gwaine points out, angrily.

"Plus he would have got in a lot of trouble had he told you." Percival adds, his voice think with sadness.

Leon nodes. "When this is over, we'll have to pay our respects at the lake."

"Yeah," Elyan agrees. "And I think Arthur will have to beg Merlin for forgiveness."

Everyone smiles as Merlin once aging calls Arthur fat, even through the tears.

"How did he ever forgive me?" Arthur asks, more to himself than anyone else.

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**Hey all, hope you liked that. Next chapter should be up soon.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	25. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-four: Of kin, lovers and brothers.

Merlin sat in his room, watching the pale light of dawn creep through the window. His injuries had been healed, but had left him with some new scars. After he had been healed he'd gone to the druid meeting, the first meeting he'd attended as king. Merlin shut his eyes as a single tear rolled down his check. He had gone to the meeting and all had been well until they brought up _the_ subject, it still reduced him to tears even now. He just hoped they did not find him weak, crying and mourning for the ones you love is not weakness, it is strength.

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**Merlin stood listening to the druid council members speak and discuss whatever problems they were here to sort. Merlin was only half listening, even though his injury had been healed it still was causing him pain. All nine change-wings had been killed, the kingdom was safe for now. Gilli had broken a great many ribs when he had been thrown into the tree and Bercilak had sustained quite a deep cut. Beside Merlin, Iseldir was watching him carefully. It seemed he could tell there was something troubling Merlin and that it wasn't just his recently healed injuries, it was something that caused him pain far deeper than any mortal wound.**

"**On to a matter of great urgency, the main reason behind tonight's meeting," One druid member speaks up. "Merlin Emrys needs a queen. Our people have a king, but they also need a queen."**

**At this Merlin's head snaps up, at such a speed it was amazing he hadn't broken his neck. "What?" Merlin asks.**

"**You need a queen," The same druid replies. "You are king now, you need to choose a queen."**

**Merlin goes pale. "You cannot ask that of me."**

"**You have to have a queen, Emrys." A second druid speaks up. "All kings need a queen, someone to support them and offer them council. You more than any other need this, the burdens you carry are far greater than any other king."**

**Merlin shakes his head. "I cannot choose a queen."**

"**Then we will choose for you." A third druid speaks up.**

"**NO!" Merlin snaps. "I will not marry someone I do not love."**

"**But you need a queen!"**

"**I cannot take someone to be my wife and queen, when my heart belongs to another." Merlin answers.**

**Iseldir looks at Merlin in surprise, he had not heard of Merlin loving someone. "Who?" He asks curiously.**

"**I do not wish to speak about it," Merlin answers. "She is dead."**

**Iseldir took a sharp breathe and the council fell silent. "I am sorry."**

"**Don't be," Merlin muttered. "You didn't kill her, Arthur did."**

**Again the council was stunned into silence.**

**Iseldir placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Tell me about her, what happened?"**

**Merlin smiled sadly. "It started one night, there was a storm raging and Gaius and I were returning from treating someone in the lower town. We passed the tavern, there was a cage on a cart outside. As we passed a druid girl suddenly moved inside the cage and looked at us. She looked so scared and alone. Gaius had told me to do nothing, she had been brought to Camelot to be sold to Uther. But later that night I snuck out and freed her, we hid in the catacombs under Camelot. I stole candles and food from Arthur, I even stole a dress from the lady Morgana, all for her.**

"**We fell in love, I told her about my magic and for a while we were happy. On the night we were going to run away together, she left early, not wanting me to leave my life in Camelot. But the thing was she was cursed. She'd change into a winged creature that killed, at night. She got caught, cornered in the court yard. Arthur dealt her a mortal wound. She fled back to the catacombs were I helped her change into the dress I'd stole. I took her to the lake of Avalon and she died in my arms. I did not have the power to save her. And so she became the lady of the lake."**

**With that Merlin turned and left the hall, there was only one place he had to go and one person he needed to speak with. Silent tears slipped down his cheeks, he had forgiven Arthur a long time ago. He had only done what he needed to, to protect Camelot. But Merlin would always love Freya, he loved her with all his heart.**

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**Merlin appeared in the crystal cave, on the floor of the cave his friends from Camelot slept. He ducked behind one of the cave walls and listened for a moment, everyone but Arthur was asleep. He had been on enough patrols and quests with the knights to know what they sounded like asleep and he lived with Gaius. Gwen was also asleep, Merlin knew so were Tristan and Isolde. Magic did come in handy. **

"**Arthur." Merlin whispers.**

**Arthur eyes snap open and he looks round.**

"**Arthur." He repeats.**

**Arthur gets to his feet and draws a sword. "Who's there?" He demands.**

"**Merlin!" Merlin answers, stepping out so Arthur can see him.**

"**What the hell are you doing here?"**

**Merlin shrugs. "I got bored and decided to stop by, you know, see if you were going to drag me back to Camelot to wash your socks or something."**

**Arthur smiled. "No, really, why are you here?"**

**Merlin sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."**

**Arthur nods and sits down, Merlin sits beside him. After a moment Arthur speaks.**

"**I've been thinking-"**

"**Don't think too hard, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Merlin grins.**

"**Shut up, Merlin." Arthur smiles. "No, I was thinking about what my mother told me. It was true. You knew it was true, if you hadn't stopped me in that throne room, magic would be free. So why did you stop me?"**

"**You would have killed your father. Plus, not everything your mother told you was true."**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**Both she and Uther went to Nimueh. She entered the deal knowing she would die as a result, she always knew but she wanted you to live more than anything. She did not blame your father, she made the choice knowing what would happen. She loved you more than anything else. Seeing you before she died was all she needed to know she had made the right choice."**

**Arthur nods. "How do you know so much?"**

"**I can speak with the dead," Merlin answers. "Ever since the Isle of the Blessed, I have been able to speak to and see the dead. Not all the time though, it uses up a lot of magic. I can only see the dead who want to be seen. All others I have to summon through a ritual like Morgause did."**

**Arthur nods. "I bet you hate it sometimes."**

**Merlin laughs. "I always say magic is a gift, but sometimes, sometimes it feels like a curse."**

**Again they fall into a comfortable silence.**

"**I'm thinking about legalizing magic," Arthur suddenly announces. "But I have no idea how to do it. If I suddenly go 'I declare the ban on magic lifted' the council will go into uproar. So will the people, I fear."**

**Merlin looks at Arthur. "You know your kingdom best."**

"**But what should I do?" Arthur asks. "You have magic, you must have some idea."**

**Merlin looked at Arthur. "You are seriously asking me for help?"**

"**Surprising as it is Merlin, you sometimes turn out to be really wise."**

**Merlin laughs. "Me? Wise? I don't think so."**

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"**So, what do you think I should do?" Arthur asks.**

**Merlin glances at Arthur. "I think legalizing magic is a good idea."**

"**Yes, but how do I do it?"**

"**Well you go to the library, get Geoffrey and ask him to help you change the law. You then get some paper, write the new law down and sign it with the royal seal," Merlin explains, as if talking to a small child. "You call the council, declare a new law and then magic is legal again."**

"**I'm serious Merlin." Arthur replies, looking slightly annoyed.**

"**That is for you to decide Arthur, you are the king of Camelot."**

"**Please Merlin, I need help."**

"**When I give you help you never listen, so what will make it any different this time?"**

**Arthur sighs. "Just please help me, I don't know what to do."**

"**You are king, Arthur. The council has to listen to you, no matter what you say. You've always bossed me around saying you're king, why can't you do that to the council?"**

"**Merlin, you don't understand-"**

"**No," Merlin answers forcefully. "I understand perfectly. Today I stood before the council I am part of and told them the god honest truth, none of them listened. And as a result I and some of my friends had to go out and sort the problem ourselves. I and two others were hurt, I almost died from blood loss…. You know why they didn't listen to me? They didn't listen because I am young, because I am not even twenty-two yet. They would not listen because they did not think I had the knowledge nor wisdom they had. That I was some young headstrong boy, with a druid crown, thinking I knew best."**

"**They think they can pressure you into doing what they want, use you as a puppet for their personal gain. **_**You**_** are the king, they have to respect that. You cannot give in to them, if what they say goes against everything you believe in then listen to what they say, but do not take it to heart. You rule the kingdom, not them. You are the one who gets the blame if something goes wrong, not them. The council is there to give advice, it is your choice whether you listen to it and act on it."**

**Arthur just stared at Merlin for a moment. "I take it being king of the druids isn't as fun as it looks."**

**Merlin snorts. "Being king of the druids is no problem. I'm talking about the council that rules the magical community."**

**Arthur nods. "So you think I shouldn't listen to the council."**

"**I didn't say that," Merlin sighs. "Listen to the council, but do not blindly follow what they say. Do what you believe is right."**

**Arthur nods. "Right, but what happens if the council doesn't like it?"**

"**Then they don't like it." Merlin answers, with a slight smile.**

"**I bet the druids love you as king, it's like you have a no nonsense attitude."**

**Merlin smiles. "I have had to baby sit you for the last three or four years. How do you think I managed to put up with you?"**

"**You did not baby sit me," Arthur all but yelled. "You were my manservant!"**

"**Whatever helps you sleep at night." Merlin laughs.**

"**Why did I even miss you?" Arthur sighs. **

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Merlin yawned as he got to his feet. He had a busy day today, first he had a meeting with queen Annis. Merlin really wasn't looking forward to that, last time they had met hadn't been under the best circumstances. He just hoped they could form an alliance, if not that was one more enemy for them to fight. After that Merlin was meeting Alice to speak about Terrance. Merlin truly had no idea what it was going to be about, all he knew was it was about his magic. After that Merlin was meeting Gwaine's mother for a chat. The last time they had met Merlin had been in a hurry and they hadn't had chance to talk. Merlin sighed, and he still had to make time to attend his lessons. To make it worse Kilgharrah had demanded Merlin start 'dragon lord' lessons, whatever they were.

"Why couldn't today just be a nice day to relax?" Merlin asked himself. "I don't ask for much, just one day off to relax."

"You know, talking to oneself is the first sign of madness." A voice behind him speaks.

Merlin turns around to find Iseldir standing there. "Iseldir."

Iseldir smiled slightly. "I wished to speak with you."

Merlin nods towards a couple of stools. "I have time."

The two of them sit down.

"I wished to apologize for causing you pain yesterday," Iseldir explains. "I did not know of your love, Freya, if I had I would not have let them speak of such things."

Merlin nods. "It's okay, Iseldir. I understand why they want a queen, but they must understand that I only love Freya. And I always will. You must know, she is still here…. She is the lady of the lake."

Iseldir looks up sharply. "The lady of the lake?"

Merlin nods. "She gave me Excalibur and guarded it for me. It gave me a chance to see her again, I could ask for no more. People do not come back from the dead, not without a price."

Iseldir nods. "They do not."

Merlin smiles slightly. "I am sorry if this has upset any of the council. I know how they are great lovers of tradition."

Iseldir nods. "You have nothing to be sorry for, we pride ourselves on our knowledge…. Yet we did not even know this about our king."

"Well I haven't really told anyone about it," Merlin answers. "Only Gaius knew. So it's no surprise you didn't know."

"Well I must bid you good day Emrys, I have matters I must attend to." Iseldir answers, getting to his feet.

"Good day." Merlin answers.

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**Arthur sighed. "I still have no idea how I'm going to go about lifting the ban on magic. I doubt it would be a good idea to just suddenly lift it."**

**Merlin nods. "Lift it in stages then."**

**Arthur looks at Merlin. "What do you mean?"**

"**What I said," Merlin answers with a grin. "Even you must know what 'stages' means."**

**Arthur sighs. "No, you idiot, I mean how do you lift a law in stages?"**

**Merlin looks at Arthur. "You really don't know what I mean, do you?"**

"**No, I don't Merlin," Arthur asks. "Otherwise I wouldn't be asking an idiot like you."**

"**Yet I'm still more intelligent than you."**

"**Shut up Merlin."**

"**Fine, I won't help you then."**

"**For the love of… Merlin, please help me."**

"**You must have been taught about lifting laws, right?"**

**Arthur nods. "Of course, I **_**was**_** born in a royal family you know."**

**Merlin rolls his eyes. "Exactly, you must know how to lift laws. So how would you lift a law?"**

"**Well my father never changed or removed laws and he most definitely did not tell me how to lift the one on magic. I was always told you just changed it, after all you were the one in charge of the kingdom."**

"**Uther really was…." Merlin shakes his head. "Well what I meant is, you lift the law on magic in stages. You have already promised to leave the druids alone, your people know this. So next time someone is thrown in front of the court judge them based on the crime they have done, not the magic they have used."**

"**What do you mean?" Arthur asks. "Magic would be the crime."**

**Merlin sighs. "Maybe I should come back tomorrow, your brain has obviously stopped working for the day…. Oh I forgot it never works."**

"**MERLIN!" Arthur yells. "I am the King! You can't talk to me like that."**

"**Yeah, you may be king, but you are no longer my king. Plus I'm king of the druids, so going on that theory, I can talk to you however I like."**

"**Shut up Merlin." Arthur growls.**

"**Funny how you only ever say that when I'm right." **

"**Shut up, Merlin."**

**Merlin grins. "Well when your brain is actually working I'll explain my plan, but it may just be too intelligent for you."**

**Arthur glares at him for a moment. "So when you said judge them on the crime don't judge them on the magic they used, you meant, judge them on what they used the magic for not the use of magic."**

"**Finally," Merlin sighs. "There is hope for Camelot yet. Yes, judge them on the crime not the magic, so if they used magic to heal someone let them go. But if they used it to steal or kill then judge them according to the punishments for those crimes, not the magic used."**

**Arthur nods. "Right, that's a good plan."**

"**Was that a compliment?" Merlin asks.**

"**No… More of a congratulations you can use your brain."**

**Merlin laughs. "Shame you can't then."**

"**MERLIN!"**

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Merlin smiled as he pulled his cloak over his shoulders, once the law against magic was lifted he could go back to Camelot. He walked over to the window and looked over the land before him. He liked it here in the perilous lands, it was going to be a hard choice choosing where to stay. Maybe he could stay in each place on different days of the week.

"Oi, Merlin," A voice behind him shouts. "Hurry up we're about to leave for queen Annis' kingdom."

Merlin sighs, today was going to be an interesting day.

**Hey all, I will soon be editing the chapters for grammar and spelling mistakes. I would love to thank TheDoctorCafferyGirl who has agreed to help me do so, thanks so much =D should be updating soon,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	26. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-five: Sweet dreams and the fires of Idirsholas.

"So you and Merlin had a chat last night," Gwaine asks. "What did he say?"

Arthur sighs. "I asked him what the best way to go about lifting the ban on magic was. I can see why the druids love him as king, he's very wise."

"Did you just complement Merlin?" Gwaine gasps in shock.

"No," Arthur answers. "More of a congratulations, king to king."

Gwaine laughs. "So it just proves Merlin is more intelligent than you."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Shut up, Gwaine."

Gwen smiles. "How was he?"

"He seemed fine," Arthur answers. "But he said he had an argument with the council of the magical community and as a result almost died, along with a couple of others."

"What?" Elyan exclaimed.

Arthur nodes. "Merlin told the council of some creatures, change-wings I think he called them, had been found and he needed help hunting them down. The council refused to believe him and as a result, Merlin and some friends went out to kill them…. On their own. Merlin said he almost died of blood lose and that two others were injured."

"Change-wings?" Gaius asks.

Arthur nodes. "Yes."

"That boy!" Gaius sighs.

Percival looks at Gaius. "What are change-wings?"

"Evil creature, they have not been seen for many hundreds of years. It is beyond a doubt true, that Mordred the dark is rising. Change-wings were creature he controlled, Merlin and his friends are lucky to have killed them and made it back alive to tell the tale."

Leon glances around. "Why have we never heard about the likes of this before?"

"Because the army Mordred the dark controls cannot be fraught my man, only sorcerers and those with magic can fight and hope to win. So therefore Uthur would never let such things be spoken about."

Everyone falls silent.

"Right the next adventure," Taliesin speaks up. "Take your seats."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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Gwaine grins. "Yet another evil plan where Arthur is the unsuspecting victim."

Arthur glares at him. "I don't see how this is funny."

Gwen nodes. "Think of all the work Merlin is going to have to do, to stop the war that will happen if their plan works."

Gwaine nodes. "How does Merlin find the time to stop all these evil plans?"

Percival nodes. "I get tied just watching him."

"Maybe its magic," Elyan mutters. "I'm sure there are spells you can use to keep yourself awake. If not, I'm sure it won't be long until someone comes up with one."

"She has some nerve to insult Gwen like that," Leon mutters. "If that had been anyone else I would hate think what would have happened to them."

Elyan nodes. "I would hate to think what Arthur would do. No insults Gwen in his presence and gets away with it."

Gwaine nodes. "Or flirts with her."

"Ha-ha," Elyan laughs. "See that Merlin agreed with me."

Leon shakes his head. "Merlin really does know Arthur best."

"He must have used magic," Percival mutters. "To create the butterflies like that. I have seen the druids do tricks like that to entertain their children and they always use magic."

Elyan shakes his head. "He got a lock of her hair that cannot be good."

Leon nodes. "I have heard of a lot of spells which requires hair and not many of them are good."

"That guy is creepy though." Gwaine mutters. "Sneaking around Arthur room like that."

Arthur turns to Gwaine. "You do release Merlin sneaks around like that, right?"

Gwen sighs. "I can see how this is going to go wrong. I pretty sure Merlin thinks you're talking about me."

Elyan nodes. "He would have been if it were not for the enchantment."

Gwen smiles. "No, Arthur has never been good at expressing his feelings."

Gwaine almost falls over laughing. "Arthur is so hilarious when enchanted. How did Merlin not notice something was wrong?"

Leon snorts. "Merlin is used to Arthur acting strangely. I mean come on, he sees Arthur in all different types of moods. He must have just thought that was how he acted when in love."

Gwen smiles. "Merlin really is a true romantic though, isn't he? Freya was one lucky girl, I know most of the maids in the castle like him and quite a lot in the lower town too."

Gwaine laughs. "Merlin really has his work cut out this time."

Leon nodes. "It's not the first time he's had to deal with Arthur when he's been enchanted, there was that women before, the one who tried to sacrifice him."

Arthur shakes his head. "Why is it always me?"

"Rats," Gwen laughs. "I worry about Merlin metal health, that was one really unbelievable reason to go searching through my house."

Gwaine grins. "You have to give it to him, he uses his imagination."

Percival smiles. "You'd think he would come up with a better plan though."

Elyan looks at Gaius. "How did you ever get a straight answer out of him? That was quite cryptic, I can't tell you about this bit, or this bit, only this bit but that wasn't my fault and it's the reason the bit I can't tell you about happened."

Gaius smiles. "You get used to it. Merlin always saying he knows what he means and that's all that matters really, he's the one who has to sort out all the problems. I just give him advice."

Gwaine laughs. "Good luck with that…. Merlin really going to need it. Stopping Arthur from doing something is almost impossible."

"Well he did have lady Viviane's help," Leon smiles. "She refused him, that made Merlin's job a lot easier."

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"And Merlin finally works it out," Gwaine grins. "But you don't know what type of enchantment was used do you?"

Gaius shakes his head. "Even now I still don't know, but I do have some idea. That spell they used, there are many like it. But because we did not see the full spell, I cannot tell you which one it was."

"Oh god," Elyan mutters. "Now Viviane is under the spell too, this isn't going to end well. Merlin really has his work cut out this time."

Percival nodes. "636 love spells, there are a lot."

"Yeah and only 150 of them use hair." Leon adds.

Gwaine grins. "He should have used the one that turned Arthur into a toad, them Gwen could have kissed him back into a prince."

Gwen glares at him. "There is no way I'm kissing a toad."

"What not even if it was Arthur?"

"No way." Gwen answers.

"Thanks," Arthur mutters. "If I ever get turned into a toad I'm doomed."

Elyan shakes his head. "Merlin would more than likely find a spell to change you back."

"Yeah," Percival mutters. "If it wasn't Merlin who changed him into a toad in the first place."

Elyan glares at the screen. "How dare he use magic on Gwen like that, that 'trickle' person or whatever his name was better be careful. If I ever find him…."

Gwen rolls her eyes. "I was fine, just a little shocked and embarrassed."

"Merlin really has his work cut out now," Tristan mutters. "Both of them are enchanted and looking for each other."

Isolde nodes. "I bet Viviane's father would have just started a war for finding her walking around the castle in such a state of dress."

"Merlin truly is unlucky," Gwaine laughs. "He has lady Viviane in Arthur room, with Arthur and her father both about to arrive."

Elyan smiles. "That must have been worse than Uthur accusing him of sorcery."

Percival nodes. "And he even used magic, to stop a war."

Leon sighs. "He was brave calling the lady Viviane's father a fool."

Gaius nodes. "He had to save Arthur somehow. I hate to think what would have happened otherwise."

"It's a good thing he is fast too," Tristan mutters. "If he hadn't got her back to her room there would have been trouble."

"Merlin's found the correct spell," Isolde smiles. "Let's hope he's not too late."

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"Wouldn't it have been brilliant if Arthur got the wrong room?" Gwaine laughs.

Percival nodes. "It would have made Merlin job a lot easier."

Leon sighs. "And that's how Arthur nearly started a war. You really do get enchanted easily."

"How is that my fault?" Arthur demands.

Gwen takes Arthur's hand. "It isn't your fault."

Gwaine snorts. "Maybe if Uthur wasn't so anti-magic it would never have happened in the first palace. I mean wasn't it the court sorcerers job to stop the royal family from being enchanted?"

"You can tell things were bad," Leon mutters. "Uthur actually asked Merlin what was wrong. Uthur hated Merlin most of the time."

"Poor Merlin," Gwen mutters. "It's always him who has to save everyone."

"He works well under pressure." Gaius agrees.

"Well," Gwaine mutters. "We all know it didn't end in war. So Merlin must have worked well."

Isolde puts a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "It all worked out in the end."

Gwen smiles. "It has." She twists the ring on her figure, which Arthur had given to her once again.

"You really don't fight well, while enchanted Arthur." Leon mutters. "You'll have to work on that."

Arthur glares at Leon. "I was enchanted, it was hardly my fault I couldn't fight properly."

"And once again Merlin goes to see the great dragon," Gwaine smiles. "It's a shame we haven't meet him."

Arthur smiles. "You never will be able to, the great dragon is dead. I killed it."

Elyan looks at him. "Then why is there no proof. I mean wouldn't its hide be displayed on a wall or something?"

Arthur shrugs. "Ask Merlin he was the only one who was awake when it died."

Everyone shares a look.

"I didn't kill it, did I?" Arthur asks. "Merlin did, didn't he? There was no body because he probably blasted it to ash or something."

Gwen smiles. "Least it's dead."

Gwaine grins. "Well Merlin has some nerve yelling at a dragon like that. I mean it could have cooked him."

Leon shakes his head. "Merlin has stopped the flames of a dragon before. It could not have harmed him and it knew it."

"True love," Isolde mutters. "Only true love had the power to break the spell."

"Love is the strongest force of them all." Gaius smiles. "No one can truly understand it."

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"And for once Merlin goes to Gwen for help, not the other way round." Gwaine laughs.

Gwen rolls her eyes. "You always go to Merlin for help."

Gwaine nodes. "Of course I do, he is my brother in all but blood."

"'Brother in all but blood'?" Arthur asks.

Gwaine nodes. "When I went to see Merlin a couple of days ago, he called me his brother. So we are brothers in all but blood."

"You go Gwen," Isolde cheers. "Show him who he truly loves."

Gwen smiles. "I'm glad I broke the enchantment."

"You have a good man, Gwen," Isolde smiles. "Don't ever change him. Because when it truly matters he will be there for you, forever and always."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulder of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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Elyan sighs. "Looks like there's more work for Merlin to do."

Gwaine nodes. "Evil sorceress's really have a thing for bring dead knights back to life, don't they?"

"Yeah, first Nimueh, now Morgause…. Even Morgana raised an army of the dead, if the skeletons were her work of course." Percival agrees.

"You should know by now, Arthur, that nothing magical is 'superstitious nonsense'." Leon sighs. "How many times has Merlin warned you of things and you've never believed him?"

Arthur sighs. "I know he doesn't like this place, the valley of the fallen kings…. Maybe it is caused."

"Who was that note from?" Gwen asks. As she watched Morgana pick up the note in the box near the window.

"Morgause," Gaius answers. "They had started to plot together, to kill Uthur."

"So she truly turned against us that long ago," Arthur asked. "Why? I mean all our father ever did was love her."

Gaius sighs. "She believed if Uthur ever found out about her magic, he would have killed her. Fear and loneliness turned her against us."

"So why did you tell Merlin to never tell her about his magic?" Gwen asks. "He could have helped her."

Gaius shakes his head. "Morgana was destined to become what she is now, the darkness was always in her heart. If she had known about Merlin's magic, she could have blackmailed him or had him executed. No good would ever have come from her knowing about his magic."

Leon looks at Gaius. "But surely destinies can be changed. I mean what if Merlin hadn't wanted to protect Arthur?"

Gaius shakes his head once more. "Destinies can be delayed, but they can never be escaped. Merlin could have left, but he would have ended up saving Arthur in the end. Maybe if Merlin had told Morgana about his magic, she may not have turned so soon, but she would have turned against us in the end."

Percival looks at the screen. "What is that spell Morgause put on Morgana for?"

"You will see." Gaius answers.

"The illness?" Elyan asks.

"It was no illness," Gaius answers. "It was a sleeping spell."

Tristan glares at Arthur. "He was brave enough to follow you on that quest without a weapon and you still insult him."

Arthur sighs. "He knows I never mean it."

Gwaine laughs. "Only Merlin could sound so unfazed by the fact there were a bunch of immortal knights standing behind you."

"See that," Elyan mutters, as Merlin ducked behind a pillar. "Merlin is forced to hide because he has no weapon. And by the time he does get a sword, he has to give it up to save you, Arthur."

Arthur sighs. "I know."

Isolde stares at Arthur. "How did you not hear him say that spell? He was standing right behind you! He basically said it right into your ear."

Arthur shrugs. "I don't know, I think I was paying more attention to the fact the seven knights had spotted us. Plus Merlin curses under his breath all the time."

"That wasn't curing under his breath, if he had said it any louder he would have yelled it."

Gwaine laughs, as he watches Arthur look at Merlin's arm. "That was most definitely not his first battle wound."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "That was kind of you, Arthur. To bandage his injury like that. Most knights wouldn't have bothered."

"Most knights wouldn't drag their servants along and if they did, they make them wait outside with their stuff." Percival mutters.

"Yeah but Merlin isn't just a servant, he's the secret protector of Camelot," Elyan smiles. "If he hadn't gone, Arthur would have died."

Leon looks at the screen. "That must have been awful, to get back to Camelot and find everyone asleep like that."

Gwaine grins. "Would be one awesome prank though."

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Gwen smiles at Arthur. "Thank you."

Arthur smiles. "You didn't deserve to sleep on the floor."

Gwaine grins. "Attention to detail, princess. She was asleep I don't think she would have minded the fact, she had a strand of hair across her face."

"So Merlin didn't know Morgana had betrayed Camelot?" Percival asks. "He just thought it was her magic keeping her awake."

Gaius nodes. "Merlin knew she spoke with Morgause but he had no idea she betrayed us. He didn't know until much later."

"But he knew?" Arthur asked. "Why did he never tell us?"

"Use your brain, princess?" Gwaine challenges. "Why do you think he couldn't tell us?"

Arthur looks at Gwaine. "I would have believed him."

"Would you? Would you really? Arthur you loved Morgana like a sister, you probably would have accused Merlin of treason. Uthur would have had his head."

Arthur sighs. "He should have at least tried to warn me."

"He did," Gaius answers. "Remember when you went to recue Elyan, he said it wasn't a good idea to bring Morgana along."

"Oh good move Arthur, leave the women who wants Uthur dead alone in a room with him and give her a weapon." Gwaine mocks.

Everyone laughs as Merlin keeps trying spells to wake Gaius.

Gaius shakes his head. "I always did wonder how I ended up on the floor."

Gwaine grins. "It kind of was funny, having to drag Uthur through the castle like that. Bet Merlin hated it."

"Two pillows," Elyan laughs. "Merlin really doesn't care about royalty does he?"

Leon smiles. "Merlin has always believed everyone should be equal."

Percival laughs. "Dress him as a women? I bet Uthur enemies would have loved to have seen that."

"I would have loved to have seen that!" Gwaine grins.

Gwen looks at Gaius. "Merlin worked out it wasn't magic keeping Morgana safe, didn't he? Because he was falling ill."

Gaius nodes. "But he still didn't know why, he didn't know it was Morgana who, was the source of the spell."

"Merlin really is good at hiding," Leon mutters. "I'm surprised though that, that knight didn't bother to try and look for Merlin."

Percival nodes. "So he's going to the great dragon for help once more."

"I'm surprised Merlin swore on his mother life," Arthur mutters. "That's a promise he would never break."

Leon looks alarmed. "He must have been the one who released the dragon."

Arthur laughs. "Donut be stupid, Merlin would never do that. He an idiot most of the time, but he wouldn't do something that idiotic."

"He had to kill Morgana," Tristan asks. "If he killed her, why is she still alive?"

Gaius sighs. "He made a deal with Morgause."

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"So he chose to poison her," Isolde mutters. "I guess that was the best way. I doubt he could have killed her with anything else, without backing out at the last moment."

Gwen grips Arthur hand. "It must have been a hard thing to do. Morgana was his friend."

"Why didn't it kill her?" Gwen asks. "They had never seen her before." As they watched as the knight refused to kill Morgana.

Gaius sighs. "She was the source of the spell, they probably could have told she was the source of the magic. Or Morgause ordered them not to kill her."

"Yeah, but how would they have known what she looked like?" Gwaine asks.

"Magic?" Elyan guesses. "Morgause could have created an image and shown them."

"He poisoned her," Leon mutters. "Yet he still held her as she died." As they watched Merlin trick Morgana into drinking the poison.

Arthur shakes his head. "He actually poisoned her, how could he do that?"

"She betrayed Camelot," Gaius answers. "She was no longer the person you grew up with. Would you have preferred that he let her live and everyone one else died? Camelot would have fallen if he had not done what he did."

Arthur sighs. "I know, its just she seemed so much like the old Morgana, even though she had betrayed us."

Percival nodes. "He didn't want to kill her. He did a brave thing. He saved Camelot."

Elyan nodes. "He was brave making a deal with Morgause like that. She could have just killed him."

Gwen shakes her head. "I don't know if I would have been able to do that."

Tristan smiles slightly. "He made the right choice. You can tell he is a good person, he felt guilty."

Isolde nodes, in agreement. "He is a good person."

Arthur stared at the screen in disbelief. "He released the dragon."

"He had no choice," Gaius speaks up. "He swore an oath."

Leon shakes his head. "So many people died, when that dragon attacked."

Gwen nodes. "But if he hadn't Camelot would have fallen to Morgause. Least the dragon was killed, Morgause couldn't have been stopped if everyone was asleep."

"But he still released it," Arthur answers. "He could have just broken the promise like he did ever time before."

Gaius shakes his head. "You do not brake a promise when you swear on someone life, not when that someone you are making the oath to has magic."

**Hey hope you liked that. The reason I said Arthur's mother knew about the deal with Nimueh, is because, I have read a couple of fanfic's where she has known and I really liked them :) sorry if anyone didn't like that, but I wanted it to be that way in my story. Also I pretty sure in the final episode of Merlin, I'm sure Merlin said he was born to protect Arthur and return magic to the land, he may not have said that but oh well. I have also tried to make my grammar better, so hope there are less mistakes this time :) Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	27. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-six: The peace treaty with Caerleon.

Merlin was really not looking forward to this. The last time he and queen Annis had meet had been after Arthur had killed her husband. And she though Merlin was a complete fool and had ordered him to be killed. Merlin really wasn't looking forward to it. Beside him was Alator, who like many of the other council members were joining him. He sighed, he wished they could have just taken care of it. He had been to enough peace treaty meetings with Arthur to know how boring they could be. But as Alator had reminded him, they needed this to go well. If it didn't they could be in big trouble, they could not afford to fight a war on two fronts.

King Sarrum would most definitely declare war on a kingdom where almost everyone had magic, queen Annis, king Rodor and Arthur's kingdoms were the only things standing between the perilous lands and king Sarrum's kingdom.

The illusions along the borders were still holding, but it wouldn't be long until they would be no use. With a war coming from the far mountains, it wouldn't be long until every other kingdom was watching them, after all they were the only people capable of stopping Mordred the dark. Who without a doubt would destroy every other kingdom and enslave the human race.

Merlin shivered, he had been given many new books to study. Most were about Mordred the dark, change-wings were to be the least of their worries. Alator had informed Merlin the only reason they had escaped with so little injuries was because Mordred hadn't had the power to summon them to their full power.

Mordred commanded an army, an army that wasn't made up of humans or your normal kind of magical creatures. Merlin's least favourite had been the orcs, which had been described as a race of humanoid like creatures. It was said they were created by Mordred, by crossing different species of animal with humans or elves. The magic used was powerful, but the creatures had been described as slow, but brutish and aggressive. But were by far the easiest to kill out of all the creatures that made up Mordred's army.

There were many other creatures that made up Mordred's army and all of them could only be killed with the aid of magic. Hence why sorcerers were the only ones who could kill them. Enchanted weapons would work, if a normal none magical army used them, but even then they wouldn't stand much of a chance. Merlin was not looking forward to fighting the Uffern-adar or chythraul-adar as they were sometimes called. They were very much like Wyvern's, but ten times the size and darker in colour.

That was another reason Merlin hated Uthur, if he hadn't killed almost all the dragons they would have something to fight the Uffern-adar with. During the final battle dragon lords had ridden the dragons. But Kilgharrah was far too large to ride into a battle like that, you needed a dragon the same size for the fight to work well and Kilgharrah hated people riding him. Aithusa was too small, he was as large as a cat, no way could you ride him until he was a least twenty years old. Sometimes Merlin hated how slow the dragons were in growing, god only knows how old Kilgharrah was!

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Merlin yawned as their envoy drew closer to queen Annis's castle, Alator glanced at him.

"Did you not sleep well, Emrys?" He asked.

Merlin glances at him. "Please just call me Merlin…. And yeah I'm tied, I didn't sleep to well last night. I kept having this dream every time I got to sleep."

"A Dream?"

"Yeah, it was about a battle, a battle fought on a great plain between two mountain ranges. But I didn't recognise any of the flags, I have never seen an area that looked like that either," Merlin answers. "I'm sure none of it was of any importance, but it seemed so real."

Alator studies him carefully. "What did the flags look like?"

Merlin shut his eyes for a moment picturing what he had seen in his dream. "Black back ground, with a strange symbol on it."

"What did the symbol look like?"

"Ummm…. Like a labyrinth symbol but with an eye in the middle."

"The all seeing eye," Alator explains. "It was the crest of Mordred the dark."

Merlin looked at Alator. "Are you sure? I'm sure it was just a nightmare."

Alator shakes his head. "I believe it is possible you had a vision of the last battle. The one where Mordred the dark was finally beaten and trapped in the mountain."

"The first battle of Camlann," Merlin mutters. "I once travelled there, to Camlann. It looked nothing like that, it was a valley made up of cliffs and small mountains."

Alator smiled. "That was the west side of Camlann, the first battle was fought on the east side. Between our mountains and the far mountains. The west side of Camlann was claimed by Uthur not long after he came to power, it lies between central Camelot and the north mountains, on the edge of Camelot's borders with the northern lands."

Merlin sighed. "So Camlann is a huge if it runs from the mountains on the east side of our kingdom all the way along to our north border to the west, where it joins the eastern border of Camelot, close to their northern border?"

Alator sighs. "It's much simpler when you have a map."

Merlin smiles. "I think I understand, but why does Camlann cover such a large area? And why did I dream about it? I'm not a seer, but then seer's only dream of the future, not the past."

Alator sighs. "You had a vision, it is not uncommon for someone of your power to have them. Visions often come in the forms of dreams, just like seer's often have their visions in their dreams."

Merlin glances at the castle ahead of them, which had just come into view. "I've had visions before but only through the aid of crystals…. But what about the plain, why is it such a large area?"

"Camlann covers such a large area, because it is a stretch of land where nothing grows. It is like a desert made of stone and dust." Alator answers. "The plain is said to be cursed by those who are dead. The far mountains are not only home to Mordred the dark, they are also home to a force much more dangerous: The dead who have been cursed to never rest in peace."

Merlin looked ahead of him. "So what exactly is going to be coming out of those mountain when the day of battle arrives?"

"An army the likes of which we have never seen before."

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"So you are not the simple minded fool, Arthur led me to believe you were." Queen Annis greets, as the envoy enters the great hall, Merlin at the lead.

Merlin smiled. "Queen Annis of Caerleon." Merlin greets bowing his head, as a mark of respect.

"King Merlin Emrys of the druids." Queen Annis bows her head. "It is not often you find out the fool servant to a king is a king himself."

"It was the best place for me to be, in order to protect Arthur," Merlin answers. "He is the once and future king. Acting the fool, insured I didn't get executed when accused of sorcery."

Queen Annis nodes. "A wise plan. You played the role of a fool quite well."

"I am honoured," Merlin answers. "But I'm afraid that part of my life is over. My people most come first, I can not afford to hide in the shadows any longer. That is why I and the council are here today. We wish to speak of peace between our kingdoms."

"Then you will dine with me," Queen Annis replies. "I will have the servants show you to your rooms, you may stay the night."

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Alator and Merlin were the last to be shown to their rooms. As they walked Merlin couldn't help but feel out of place. He had lived all his life as a boy from a small farming village and a man servant from Camelot. He was not used to being treated as royalty. He may be king of the druids now, but druids were all for equity and didn't make their kings or queens live in castle or have hundreds of servants. They just showed respect and offered them a place to stay and aid them in any way they could.

Merlin enjoyed his plain normal life, it was simple, straight forward. You didn't have people watching your every move or talking behind your back. He could now understand why Arthur often felt so annoyed and angry sometimes. The druids had always shown Merlin respect even before, he knew he was their king. But now he was part of the council that ruled the perilous lands, the druid representative. Alator supported him, but Merlin had heard many of the others talking behind his back.

Merlin sighed, his new life was going to have to take some getting used to. He still had much druid law to learn about, as well as customs and traditions. He was also supposed to conduct a hand fasting ceremony. Life could be worse he knew. He could still be Arthur man servant, hiding in the shadows and fighting the world on his own.

"You seem troubled, Merlin." Alator speaks up. "What is it, that troubles you?"

"I am a king. King of the druids." Merlin answers. "I guess with everything that has been going on in the last few days, it never really sank in."

Alator smiled. "The druids chose you as their king, and they love and respect you."

"But that's it," Merlin answered. "They chose me because I am Emrys. Queen Annis would have shown me no respect at all, if she knew me only as Merlin. What if it is the same with the druids?"

Alator shook his head. "The druids may know you as Emrys and respect your power, but they do not just bow down to someone of higher power. They respect your destiny and what you will one day help Arthur create. But most of all they respect you because you are _Merlin_. Someone who risked their life time and time again to help, druids and sorcerers escape from Camelot when they were going to be killed for nothing more than magic. They druids love and respect you because you think with your heart as well as you head, you hold the two in equal balance. You respect them and in return they respect you."

Merlin looks at Alator. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Alator answers. "I would give my life for you, not only because of the world you will build, but because you truly care about what happens to us and would do anything to save us."

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Merlin slipped back into his room, he had just been out to speak with Gwaine's mother. He silently thanked whoever came up with the teleportation/transportation spell. He knew three different ones now, all of them highly useful. Merlin walked over to the bed and sat down, the sun was setting in the west and he had less than an hour until he would have to dine with queen Annis.

Merlin sighed it couldn't be worse, the druids had given him 'royal' robes to wear. Merlin hadn't even tried them on but he already hated them, they were to kingly, to rich and well made. Merlin knew it wasn't the druids choice of material, it was the councils. He sighed he guessed he had to look like a king. They were most definitely not clothes he was used to wearing.

Staring at his druid robes he guessed they weren't too bad. They were earthly colours, browns and greens, with a silver crown and a midnight blue cloak. Merlin sighed once more, he had no idea what to do. He had not been trained to be a king. Did he have to wear the crown to the meal with queen Annis? Merlin knew Arthur always wore his crown to peace treaty signings, but couldn't remember if you wore the crown when dining with other royals, he knew at feast you did wear the crown. But dining alone with another royal? He had no idea, Arthur had never dined alone.

"This is hopeless!" Merlin mutters.

"Nothing is truly hopeless, Emrys."

Merlin spins round to find Iseldir standing there. "Iseldir, I did not know you were here."

Iseldir smiles ever so slightly. "Alator contacted me, he said you were having some doubts about your right to be king."

Merlin sighed. "I am no king, all I know about being king is what I have learnt from being Arthur servant."

Iseldir shakes his head. "What makes you a great king is what is in your heart. You respect and care about your people. You treat them as equals and go out of your way to help them, to help us. Many kings and queens rule with fear and demand respect. You have gained our respect from your actions, you have never demanded it."

Merlin sighed. "But I am still not fit to be king."

"You were born to do this, Merlin Emrys, it is in your heart." Iseldir a answers. "What you are going to achieve here today will be one step closer to achieving the peace we all long for."

Merlin smiled. "Then I'll try my best to gain a peace treaty with queen Annis."

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Queen Annis sat at end of the table, a fine meal set before her. At the other end of the table a place for Merlin Emrys had been set, he was yet to arrive. He wasn't running late, the servants had just set up early to make sure everything was prepared and ready. The truth was queen Annis was hoping their talk went well, if Merlin had not approached first, she would have gone to him to ask for peace.

He husband before he had been killed, had been trying to find Emrys for years, in hope of securing peace with him. Not out of fear, Emrys was the most powerful after all, but because the age of peace he was said to bring…. It something he wanted for his people more than anything else. Annis wanted that peace too, she may appear hard and cold, but she cared deeply about her people.

She had heard countless rumours of the way Emrys risked his life to save his people from Uthur and then Arthur when he became king, smuggling them out of the dungeons and hiding druid camps with enchantment, or forming alliances with sorcerers such as the Catha. But she never found out who Emrys was, she knew Morgana feared him and many with magic were loyal to him, even if they had never meet him or knew what he looked like.

Magic was a great tool, that she knew. It could be used for greatness and it could be used for great destruction. The laws in Caerloen, were not as strict as they were in Camelot but magic was still approached with caution and not truly excepted. The laws against it simple stated what it could and couldn't be used for, but not many would use it publicly. They had a border with both Camelot and Amata, both kingdoms where magic was punished by death.

But they now had a new kingdom on their border, a kingdom full magic users and led by Merlin Emrys and the council. Queen Annis welcomed the use of magic, when used for the right thing. Morgana had once helped her, even though Morgana was helping herself more than she was queen Annis. An alliance with Merlin Emrys was a big thing, she was no lover of king Sarrum and there was no alliance between them, but no war either.

Suddenly the doors of the great hall were pulled open and Merlin Emrys entered. He royal druid robes catching in a small guest of wind, causing them to billow around him. He smiled slightly as he noticed the table was already set. Queen Annis nodes her greeting.

"Sorry, if I am late, queen Annis." Merlin smiles. "I may have taken longer getting ready than usual. I had to talk with one of the council members."

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Merlin sat and he and queen Annis ate in silence for a while.

"You came here to speak of peace," Queen Annis finally speaks up. "Yet you have not spoken a word."

Merlin looked up from his food. "I came here to eat also…. It is not often I get to done in such company."

"So you would rather eat, than talk about a peace treaty, which of huge importance to you and your people?" Queen Annis asks, looking at Merlin.

"I would rather stave, if I thought it would better my people," Merlin answers. "I would give up everything I have, even my life, if I thought it would better my people. You ask me to dine with you, so that is what I am doing. I thought it would be polite to let us eat before I started to talk."

A servant serving them dropped the wine pincher they were holding and queen Annis stared at Merlin for a moment, she did not know many who would so openly speak to her. A former serving boy at that. Then she laughed and smiled, she had not smiled in a long time. Merlin looked at her for a moment before glancing at the servant and then back at the queen.

"It is not often people have the nerve to speak so openly to me," Queen Annis finally speaks, her voice full of mirth. "Not even Uthur spoke to me or my husband in such a way. You were once a servant to the Pendragon's and yet you would speak so openly to me, as if I were nothing more than an equal."

Merlin looks at queen Annis. "But you are an equal. Just as I treat every person as my equal. I may have powerful magic, a fancy title and wear a crown on my head. But that makes me no more of a man than any other man. We are all human, some are just born with riches, while others are not."

"Wise words," Queen Annis answers. "I can see why the druids respect you the way they do. But what makes you think, I will just make peace with you and your people?"

"Nothing," Merlin answers, sipping his wine. "You hardly know me or my people. Our kingdom was forged from the waste lands of the fisher kings realm only days ago. But if it were not for the fact my people are in danger I would not be here. A peace treaty between the kingdoms could have been created long after my kingdom and people have found their feet, in their new home.

"I am here because soon we will be going to war, a war only those with magic can win. We cannot afford to fight a battle on two fronts. My people and I will not have the strength to do so. I am here to ask you, that you will help my people and I survive."

Queen Annis looks at Merlin. " You speak of a war, but with whom? No other kingdom has declared war on you."

"A great evil has been awoken in the far mountains," Merlin answers. "Mordred the dark will rise once more. Only those with magic can fight and hope to win…. No kingdom with a brain would declare war on us. We may be new but the people are the army. And every one of them can fight, regardless of whether they have magic. I alone can bring a kingdom to its knees, if I wished it, think of what a kingdom of people like me could do?

"But king Sarrum is blinded by hate and greed, he will declare war on us. Even if my people didn't have magic he would still declare war, because I have magic. It is my duty to my people to keep them safe, to protect them the best I can. I would beg you if I had to, because my people will always come before my honour and my dignity.

"Without my people I would be nothing, I would have no hope. Even before I knew I was king of the druid, they forced me to keep faith. When all was lost and the light had been hidden they gave me hope…. And in turn I gave other people hope and strength to keep fighting. They would help me, even when I did not ask for it. They made me feel less alone in the darkest of hours. I owe them a great deal, a great deal more than I could ever hope repay, so I would beg you, if I knew it was the only way."

Queen Annis stared at Merlin, at a loss for words. He spoke his mind as well as his heart. She had no doubt that Merlin would beg if he had no other choice. He words were the most truthful thing she had ever heard spoken. Even when Arthur spoke with her on the eve of battle, his words were no were near as heart felt as this. Merlin truly cared for his people deeply, as if they were kin.

"You are king _of_ the people, not a king of the people," Queen Annis finally answers. "You would treat them as if they were no different to yourself. I respect that, there are not many people who would put their people first, in times of war. Many kings hide themselves away in their castles and care only for their safety not their peoples."

Merlin smiled. "The people are who make the kingdom, without the people there would be nothing. To rule with fear, is not to rule at all. I would never demand respect, I would earn it. The same as I only show respect to those who have proven themselves worthy of it. Such as you have, when you and Arthur nearly went to war."

Queen Annis smiles. "Then you can tell your people you and they have a new ally."

Merlin looked sharply at queen Annis. "You'll sign the peace treaty?"

"Of course, you have proven to be a wise and just leader. You put your people first and respect them. I have no doubt that you would truly beg, if you though it best for your people. I respect that, it shows you have honour far greater than most, honour to your people. I will sign the peace treaty and may the peace between our kingdoms last a long time to come."

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**Hey just so I know and have this correct: **

**King Arthur and Queen Guinevere rules Camelot (part of the five kingdoms). **

**King Sarrum rules Amata. **

**King Odin rules Bernicia. **

**King Rodor rules Nemeth and his daughter is princess Mithian (part of the five kingdoms). **

**Queen Annis rules Caerleon, her husband was killed by Arthur. **

**Queen Mab rules the impenetrable forest. **

**King Alined Rheged (part of the five kingdoms). **

**King Olaf, his daughter is lady Viviane, rules Powys (part of the five kingdoms).**

**King Godwin, his daughter is princess Elena rule Gawant (part of the five kingdoms).**

**King Lot, the king who took over from Cenred after he was killed by Morgause, rules Essetir.**

**King Bayard, rules Mercia.**

**And last but not least the fisher king, does anyone know the name of his kingdom? Well I'm going to call it... Peryglus (it's perilous in welsh, I believe :))**

**I know they always say the five kingdoms, I'm lead to believe that the five kingdoms were the kingdoms Uthur formed an alliance with so are allies of Camelot. But the other kingdoms there were other kingdoms that were not part of that treaty signing. With alliances being formed later with people such as Annis e.c.t.**

**Any way hoped you liked that. Don't worry people who wanted to see Merlin speak with Gwaine's mother, that will be coming soon. And hopefully a third dragon =D leave a review and let me know what you think or if you have any questions on the story. Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	28. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-seven: The last dragon lord and the tears of Uthur Pendragon part one.

Arthur sat in silence, he knew Morgana had betrayed them, but he just couldn't believe Merlin would poison her like that. He knew he wouldn't have been able to do it, he had the courage of a warrior and he couldn't have done that to Morgana. He knew what Merlin had done, had been done to save the kingdom and he knew without Merlin's help the kingdom would have fallen a long time ago.

But he had released the dragon, a dragon who had killed many, many people. Merlin had saved the kingdom and then almost destroyed it. That was how much he valued his promises, if he said he was going to do something, he would do it and try and sort out the consequences of it later. He was brave, Arthur had to give him that. Merlin had known the dragon would attack the city, he had seen it in a crystal. But he refused to break his word and released the dragon.

Gwen and the others understood Merlin had done what he had to and they were glad. Most of them only knew her as a witch hell bent on destroying Camelot and taking the throne, but Gwen knew her before. Morgana had changed ever since she met Morgause, at first she didn't want to believe it, but she knew once she had seen Morgana doing a spell in her room, when Arthur was on a quest. The magic hadn't scared her, it was the evil she had felt in the air. She just knew Morgana didn't mean them well anymore.

Taliesin appears again and smiles slightly. "It is time you watch the next adventure."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulder of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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Everyone watches the screen, the court yard had a great many fires burning, as Arthur lead his men in an attack. Back in the castle many people were injured and Gaius and Gwen were working to try and treat as many as they could.

"The dragon wasted no time in attacking, did it?" Gwaine finally speaks up.

Leon nodes. "It must have been hard for Merlin, having to watch people die knowing he was the one who caused it."

Arthur looked at the screen. "He said sorry, sorry doesn't help the fact hundreds of people were dying because of what he did."

Percival glances at Leon. "That truly did look scary, having a dragon flying towards you like that."

Leon nodes. "It was…. The fire…. I'm surprised it didn't kill us."

Elyan turns and looks at his sister. "You shouldn't have gone out in the court yard like that. That dragon could have killed you!"

Gwen glares at her brother. "We needed clean water to treat people, without clean water people would have died."

Arthur takes Gwen's hand. "All that matters was we both lived."

Gwaine sighs. "So Merlin's magic couldn't kill him, I thought he could have…. He killed the griffin."

Gaius shakes his head. "Only a dragon lord can kill a dragon. A dragons magic is one of the oldest forms of magic."

Arthur looks at Gaius. "So how did we kill it? The last dragon lord died in Merlin's arms."

Isolde smiles as she watches Arthur and Gwen, while Gwen treats Arthur wound. Tristan grips her hand and they smile at each other. Love was a powerful bound.

Everyone takes a step back slightly at the sight of the city the following day. The lower town was still burning in places and much of the castle walls were in ruin.

"That dragon did a lot of damage," Gwaine mutters. "I would hate to be its enemy."

Arthur sighs. "It's dead, Gwaine. Unless dragons can come back from the dead we have nothing to worry about."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "I have heard of dragon lord before, but what are they?"

Gaius sighs. "They are the dragons kin, they can control the dragons. But not all of them have magic. Uthur had them all killed, for he feared what they practiced was too closely linked to magic."

Tristan nodes. "From before the great purge, we didn't have any dragon lords in the kingdom it lived in, so we only heard the odd story. It seems they were true."

Isolde glances round. "You said the dragon lord died in Merlin's arms?"

Gaius nodes. "Indeed he did."

"Could Merlin not save him?"

"Merlin had and still has little knowledge in the magical art of healing, the wound his fa-." Gaius quickly stops speaking. "The wound the dragon lord suffered, could not have been healed even by someone of great skill. It was just too deep."

"Balinor," Arthur mutters. "I remember he refused to help, but Merlin spoke to him and he changed his mind. He was so bitter."

"He had every right to be," Gwaine answers. "Your father hunted him down like an animal, forced him away from his family. Why would he want to help you?"

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "How do you know so much about him?"

"Because I know his son." Gwaine answers.

They watch as Merlin and Gaius talk.

"You helped Balinor escape?" Gwen asks.

Gaius nodes. "I did."

"Hunith helped him," Arthur asks. "He was an outlaw, did she not know how dangerous that was?"

Gaius glares at Arthur. "The dragon lords did nothing wrong, Uthur simply feared they had magic. Some of them did, some of the didn't…. The gift of the dragon lord is passed from father to son in death…. They were killed for what family they were born into, not whether the chose to practice it."

"So Balinor son, is now the last dragon lord?" Arthur ask.

Gaius nodes. "He is."

"Who is he?"

"You will see."

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"Merlin is Balinor son," Isolde gasps. "But you said Balinor died in his arm."

Gaius nodes. "Merlin's father died in his arms…. Merlin wasn't even able to give him a proper burial or grieve properly for fear of what Uthur would do if he ever found out."

Gwen turns to Gwaine. "You knew?"

Gwaine nodes. "When I went to see Merlin, he told me about his father. It wasn't the first time he spoke of him, but it was the first time he told me who he was."

Arthur looks at Gaius. "You told him not to tell me. I wouldn't have handed him over."

Gaius sighs. "Uthur could never have found out. He would have feared Merlin, and no good would have come of that."

They watch as Merlin and Arthur travel and enter a tavern for the night.

Gwaine laughs. "'Greetings!' even Merlin would have known better than to greet them like that."

Percival smiles. "And I bet he would have known not to give the money first."

Elyan nodes. "He did grow up in Cenred's kingdom."

Tristan smirks. "You two really did seem out of place in there."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "We had no choice, we couldn't spend the night in the woods and we had to find where Balinor was."

They watch as Arthur and Merlin settle down for the night in their room.

"Why can you never admit when you worried Arthur?" Gwaine grins. "You were obviously worried about Merlin."

Leon nodes in agreement. "But of course Merlin's not going to tell you."

Tristan shakes his head. "You actually provide the lie for him, no wonder he never has a problem coming up with them."

They watch as Leon and the other knights try to kill the dragon.

Arthur turns to look at Leon. "Good formation."

Leon nodes. "Thank you, my lord."

Gwaine rolls his eyes. "It's a dragon! It breaths fire! And you try and kill it with fire! Anyone would have known that wouldn't work! Plus the fire let it see the arrows you were firing, how you manage to kill anything is a mystery."

"No it isn't," Percival laughs. "Merlin kills them."

Everyone laughs.

Gwen smiles slightly. "That must have been a shock seeing his father for the first time."

Everyone one watches in silence as Merlin and his father speak. Even Arthur felt sorry for him, Uthur had hunted him down.

Gwaine sighs. "Trust Arthur to ruin the moment."

Everyone watches as the scene changes back to Camelot, the city was in even worse shape and people were trying to put the fires out. Gwen and Gaius speak on the battlements.

Isolde smiles. "Love does change everything."

Tristan also smiled. "True love can survive anything."

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Back at the caves Balinor refuses to help.

Gaius smiles slightly. "The fates were cruel to him…. He loved Hunith more than life itself, when he was forced to leave, he didn't even know Hunith was pregnant."

Gwaine nodes. "It must have been hard for Merlin, knowing that his father would turn his back on innocent people."

Gaius sighs. "Balinor was a great man, but when that happens to you…. No one would be unchanged by it."

Gwen smiles sadly. "He didn't even know he had a son."

"Well," Gwaine mutters. "Merlin looks more like his father than his mother…. They would have been a great family, if Uthur hadn't hunted him down."

Percival smiles as Merlin insults Arthur, whilst telling him what he is. "You have to admit Arthur, you are arrogant."

"And supercilious." Elyan adds, with a grin.

"Condescending," Gwaine adds. "Over bearing."

"Oh shut up," Arthur growls. "Merlin's an idiot."

"Yet he was the one who convinced Balinor to help." Leon mutters.

Gwaine laughs. "I love how Arthur manages to ruin the moment every time."

Arthur sighs. "I didn't mean to."

"Of course princess." Gwaine mutters.

Gaius smiles sadly. "Balinor could have taught him so much. When he died he passed on his gift to Merlin, but Merlin had no one to teach him the ways of the dragon lords, everything he knows he has had to learn himself."

They watch as the following morning as Merlin wakes up to find a carved dragon on the tree stump next to him. But only seconds later the camp is attacked by Cenred's men.

They watch in complete silence as Balinor takes a sword for Merlin and dies in his arms. The silence is only broken by Gwen's sobbing.

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Gwaine shakes his head. "That must have been so hard for Merlin. First he loses his best friend, his love and then his father."

Percival nodes. "It must have been hard, knowing the father of the man you work for hunted down your father and ruined your family."

"Yeah a king who would kill you in a second of he ever found about the way you were born." Elyan adds.

They watch as Arthur informs his father Balinor is dead and asks for the knights help to kill the dragon.

Leon smiles as he watches him and some Arthur knights walk forward. "We all thought we wouldn't return from that fight."

Arthur nodes. "You were the only one who made in back, besides me and Merlin of course."

Gwen wipes her eyes, as she watches Merlin and Gaius talk. "Why does he always blame himself? You said that wound was too deep, so why does he blame himself?"

Gaius sighs. "Because that's the way he is. Merlin will always want to save everyone, and will feel the guilt when he cannot…. I guess he feels that if he never let the dragon go, his father and all those killed would still be alive."

They watch as Merlin prepares Arthur to ride out and face the dragon.

Leon smiles. "Merlin and his good advice again."

Gwaine glares at Arthur. "I think his father was worth his tears, don't you?"

"I didn't know he was Merlin's father!" Arthur snaps. "If I had known, I would never have said that."

Percival laughs. "He was right, if he wasn't there you would have died."

Elyan nodes. "And he has saved you many times."

Tristan shudders slightly. "Wouldn't want to have been those knights…. Burnt to death is no way to go."

Isolde shivers. "I wouldn't want to be Merlin."

Everyone takes a step back as Merlin roars at the dragon, quite surprised and shocked that such a sound could come from any human.

Gwaine smiles. "Look at that, the dragon is bowing to him!"

Everyone watches in shock as Merlin lets Kilgharrah go free.

"He let the dragon go!" Arthur yells. "Even after all the death it caused!"

Gaius glares at Arthur. "Without the dragon help, Merlin would have died. The dragon has saved Merlin's life when no others had the power to. Kilgharrah is loyal to Merlin and only Merlin."

Gwen smiles as she watches Merlin and Gaius together, they really were like father and son.

She glanced round, Arthur was truly in a bad mood now, but he would get over it. Everyone else were just pleased Merlin was alive, but slightly worried about the dragon still being around.

Arthur was just angry, Merlin had poisoned Morgana and let the dragon go. But Arthur would get over it, in his heart of hearts he knew Merlin did everything he did for the good of Camelot

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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All the knights take gasp as they see the land covered with dead knights and guards.

"What happened?" Elyan finally asks.

"My father sent patrols out to look for Morgana…. Even if it meant entering different kingdoms. So many were attacked and killed." Arthur answers.

Gwaine shakes his head. "You should never have bothered, look at all the things she has done."

"Merlin is by no means 'a girls petticoat'!" Gwen growls. "He was right, it wasn't a good idea to go after them. That was a patrol twice the size of yours and they were all slaughtered."

Everyone smiles at Arthur's and Merlin's banter, Arthur got called fat and a dollop-head and Merlin got called a wimp.

Gwaine laughs. "How did no one notice that! All metal objects stuck to that guys sword, even a guards helmet!"

Elyan smiles. "A good spell though, the guy just fell over backwards."

"How did no one notice a whole tree just falling on him like that!?" Percival exclaimed.

Leon sighed. "And Merlin once again saved Arthur's life."

Gwen gasps at the sight of Morgana. "I thought she was with Morgause, why would she treat her like that."

Gaius shakes his head. "She wasn't injured, hardly at all. They had to make it look like she had been help prisoner or we all would have known she had turned against us."

They watch as Gaius looks Morgana over, while Uthur waits outside.

"You can see how it was so easy to fool Uthur," Gwaine mutters. "She could have declared she was evil and he wouldn't have believed her."

Gwen sighs. "It must have been hard for Merlin, knowing if Morgana told the king he would die."

Gaius nodes. "Merlin feared that more than most things…. Morgana was worried if she told the king, Merlin would in turn tell Uthur why he did poison her and they would both be killed."

Tristan watches as Arthur and Morgana talk. "I can see why everyone believed she wasn't evil, she was quite convincing."

Isolde nodes. "A really good actor, it even had Merlin fooled."

Gaius smiles. "But Merlin is never fooled for long."

Everyone laughs as Arthur says he knows how to use a cloth and bucket.

"Good one princess," Gwaine laughs. "Like you'd know how to clean a floor. You can't even dress yourself half the time."

Gwen glares at Arthur. "That was mean, tipping water on him like that…. You really have no idea how hard we work do you?"

Arthur looks at Gwen. "It can't be that hard!"

Gwen just keeps glaring. "And how would you know? You have never had to do it! It must be even worse for Merlin, he has to keep saving the kingdom, help druids escape and put up with you while doing it."

Arthur's jaw drops open in shock. "I am a knight as well as king, I know what hard work is like."

"You have no idea, Arthur!" Gwen answers. "You've never had to live that kind of life. Maybe if you had you would understand."

"Trouble in paradise." Leon mutters to Elyan, who nodes.

They all watch as Morgana and Uthur speak.

Gwaine snorts. "He cared for you like his daughter, because you were his daughter."

"Gwaine you do know she can't hear you?" Percival asks.

Elyan shivers as Morgana walks away from Uthur smirking. "She's smirking, there is something going on. She has a plan and it can't be good."

"It's never good," Leon mutters. "Morgana's plains have bought Camelot to its knees before."

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They watch as Morgana rides out of the city to meet her sister, Morgause in the forest.

Gwaine shakes his head. "Bet you're jealous, Arthur. Morgause only asked after Merlin and Uthur."

Arthur glares at him. "Will you shut up."

Leon shivers. "The tears of Uthur Pendragon, why did they not use hair. All the spell we're seen so far use hair."

Gaius sighs. "The spell would not have had the same effect."

"Mandrake root," Percival mutters. "I have heard of that before."

"If only those with magic can bear the screams, why could we hear it?" Elyan asks.

"These are the adventures of Merlin," Taliesin explains. "All things Merlin is able to see and hear you will be able to see and hear also."

Isolde looks up in alarm. "Mandrake roots, I have heard lf them before too. Uthur used them to find people who had magic."

Gaius nodes. "He did indeed do that when the great purge first started. But one night all the roots disappeared, I fear someone stole them in hope it would stop Uthur. But all it did was cause him to kill all those accused of magic, for he no longer had a way of proving if they did or not."

Everyone winces slightly as they see the mandrake root under Uthur's bed, they had all heard what Morgause had explained it does.

Out on the training filed Arthur is showing off, fighting blindfolded.

"You are such a show off," Gwaine complains. "And you wonder why Merlin is always calling you names, someone has to keep your ego down sized."

Elyan laughs. "I don't think it's a wise move, to tease Merlin like that."

Percival nodes. "Now you know he has magic, think of all the things he can do as revenge."

Arthur pales slightly, thinking back to his time as part donkey. Merlin didn't know about that, so there was no way Merlin would know to change him into one.

Leon smiles. "Look at his face, he's planning something…. And knowing Merlin this isn't going to end well for Arthur."

Everyone laughs as Merlin uses magic to make Arthur lose his sword, resulting in him getting a face full of mud. Merlin fakes looking concerned and quickly gets up to help.

Arthur just glares at the screen. "He'll pay for that."

"He's an all-powerful warlock," Gwaine mutters. "You won't even get close, unless he lets you."

Percival nodes. "It could have been worse…."

"How could that have been worse?" Arthur demands.

Leon smiles. "It could have been a lot worse."

They all watch as the feast that night starts and Uthur gives his speech and goes outside for some air. Morgana watches him go, smirking all the while.

Gwen screams as the hand comes out the well, everyone else jumps in shook.

"Mother." Arthur mutters.

Everyone watches in silence as Uthur is taken to his room, the mandrake root was doing it work.

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"So that's why Cenred attacked," Arthur mutters. "Morgause told him too."

Gwen gasps as Morgana stabs the knight on the battlements.

"She truly had turned against us." Arthur mutters.

Gaius nodes. "The darkness in he heart claimed her mind, it consumed her. Her magic was simply what caused the fear, which drove her down the path she chose to walk."

Gwen shakes her head. "That's when I knew Morgana had changed. She never once spoke to me in such a tone, before that."

Everyone winces as one of Cenred's men is thrown back by Morgause.

"She really knows how to talk people into doing things." Leon mutters. "Cenred was pretty much eating out of her hand."

Elyan nodes. "She knew how to play with him, make him do what she wanted."

"I have always liked a cleaver women," Gwaine mutters. "But Morgause is far too bitter for my taste."

Percival rolls his eyes. "You would have done what she asked, if she had asked the right way."

Back in Camelot the council is talking about Cenred's kingdom.

Elyan takes a step back at the sight of the drowned boy, it reminded him to much of druid who had possessed him.

Gwen looks at Gaius in horror. "He drowned children?"

Gaius nodes. "All those said to have magic were killed. Whole families, even new born babies."

Leon shakes his head. "That guard may have been alive, but I doubt for long. Morgana most definitely wouldn't let him live."

Elyan shakes his head. "You should really keep your door locked, Gaius."

"A locked door wouldn't have stopped Morgana." Gaius answers.

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They watch as that night Merlin cares for Uthur and notices the mandrake root dripping below Uthur's bed. They watch Merlin follow Morgana out of the castle and through the lower town and into the woods. Where she meets Morgause.

Arthur glares at the screen. "Merlin is an idiot! He should not have gone alone."

Percival nodes. "But who could he have taken with him? Anyone who went with him, would have been in danger too."

Elyan winces as Merlin is knocked out by one of Morgause's blood guard. "He wouldn't have wanted to risk anyone else life."

Back in Camelot, Gaius is trying to convince Arthur to take charge of the kigdom.

Gwaine looks at Gaius. "You sure did have a lot of faith in princess."

"The kingdom needed a strong leader." Gaius answers. "Especially with a war closing in."

Back in the forest Merlin wakes to find himself chained, and thrown before Morgause.

Gwaine shakes his head. "He really does have bad luck."

Elyan nodes. "Left to be questioned by Morgause, I doubt anyone would have wanted to be in his place."

Percival sighs. "Left in the forest to die, with no one to save him."

Leon looks at Gaius. "He couldn't break the chains, I thought his magic was stronger than Morgause's."

"It is," Gaius answers. "But you have to know the right spell for it to work."

Everyone looks horrified as Serkets appear through the trees.

"Come on, Merlin." Gwen mutters, as Merlin once again tries to break the chains.

Meanwhile back in Camelot Gaius is looking for Merlin, but having no luck. Everyone glares as Morgana smirks after finding Merlin has not returned. Not long after Morgana offers Arthur some comfort while they stand by their father.

Back in the forest the Serkets are drawing closer and closer to Merlin.

"Come on." Gwen cries, watching as Merlin casts a spell sending them back for only a couple of moments.

Gwaine grips his sword as his he wanted to attack them himself.

"NO!" Gwen shrieks, as a Serket stings Merlin in the back.

Gwaine yells in angry and Elyan, Percival and Leon gasp. Tristan and Isolde grip hands and look horrified. Gaius looks annoyed, Merlin never did tell him what happened, but he couldn't help but fell slightly panicked. Arthur was just in shock, he stared at screen frozen to the spot.

They watch as Merlin summons the great dragon and falls to the ground, around him the Serkets are moving closer.

The scene changes to Cenred's army marching towards Camelot, while Morgause watches on from her crystal.

Back in the forest, the great dragon arrives, just as Merlin passes out and carries him away, after burning many of the Serkets.

Nobody moves, they had just watched Merlin get stung by a creature no one survived the poison of. And they were all hopeless to do anything about it, Merlin was still alive they all knew but that didn't stop them worrying.

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	29. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-eight: A gift fit for a queen.

Merlin smiled as the pale light of dawn appeared in the eastern sky. He was on his way to sign the peace treaty with queen Annis, then he would once again be heading back to his kingdom. But not with the envoy, he had to pick something up from Gwaine's mother first. It had been Gwen's birthday a couple of days after Morgana had turned her into a deer.

Gwaine's mother had kindly agreed to make Gwen a dress, as a way of saying thank you to Merlin. Merlin had told her she had nothing to be thankful for, but it must be a mother's gift to talk people into agreeing with them. Gwaine's mother had been a dress maker for most of her life, even though she was noble born, so it really wasn't a problem for her.

Merlin was really grateful, he had no idea how to make a dress. He had simply bought the fabrics and was hoping his magic would be able to do most of the work. He had just knew Arthur and Gwen had made up, so Gwen would be needing a dress fit for a queen. And plus Merlin felt really bad for not remembering her birthday on the day.

He sighed, he was once again dressed in his royal druid robes. Only difference this time was he had his crown. Merlin turn and left his room, heading out into the corridor, where a servant was ready and waiting to lead him to the main hall for the treaty signing. A servant had already collected his stuff, which was ready on the horses outside and ready for them to leave.

Following the servant Merlin couldn't help be reminded of all the times he had led guest to their rooms, when Arthur thought it was perfectly fine to give him even more work to do. The castle had servants to care for guests, Merlin was sure Arthur just did it to annoy him most of the time. As they reached the great hall, all of queen Annis council were gathered and so were Merlin's envoy.

"Queen Annis," Merlin greets. "Good morning."

"Good morning, king Merlin." She answered.

As Merlin approached the table, he quickly scanned the treaty be would be signing before smiling at queen Annis.

"I am glad there will be peace between our kingdoms," Merlin smiles. "If you ever need our aid, just send for it. We will gladly help you in any way we can."

Queen Annis nodes. "I am glad also, I hope the age of peace you are to bring arrives soon. There has been far too many wars in these lands. Too many of my people have died."

Merlin nodes and picks up a quill, beside him the head of the magic council also does the same. As the two of them sign, queen Annis picks up her quill and quickly signs once they are done. She and Merlin grasp fore arms and shake, sealing their alliance.

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**Merlin slipped out of his room in queen Annis castle, hood drawn low over his face. He was dressed in plain druid robes, in a hope it would not draw too much attention to him. As he passed down the halls, he kept an eye out for guards. It would not go down well if he was caught sneaking around the castle.**

**At last he finds his way out into the town. The market was in full swing, people passed along the street going from stool to stool, trading and buying goods. But Merlin was on a mission, not too long ago it had been Gwen's birthday. With everything that had been going on at the time and the fact she was in exile meant Merlin had not been able to give her a gift or even wish her a happy birthday.**

**So Merlin was on a mission to get Gwen a birthday present or two, to make up for missing her birthday. He walked from stool to stool looking for something to get Gwen. She would no doubt be queen soon, she and Arthur were more than likely back together by now. So he needed to get a gift fit for a queen…. The future queen of Camelot. **

**Merlin thought back to the last time he had seen Gwen, dressed in plain work cloths, a look of horror and saddens on her face as she watched Isolde die. Merlin smiled to himself, that was it! Gwen needed a dress fit for a queen, she couldn't be seen walking around in work cloths. She was the future queen, after all. **

**Merlin walked a little faster as he walked from stool to stool looking for the perfect fabric to make a dress for Gwen from. Then he spotted it, a deep scarlet red, almost burgundy in colour. The material was fine and well made, fit for any noble. Merlin quickly made his way over and bought the fabric, it would no doubt suit Gwen perfectly. **

**Merlin walked to the stool next door and bought a pack and placed the fabric in it. He glanced round, he still needed more things. No royal would ever been seen in a plain outfit. All royal clothing had some sort of design on it, or accessory to stop it from looking so plain. Merlin had seen plenty of royal clothing in his time and Camelot. Morgana was forever wearing necklaces and jewellery.**

**Merlin kept walking, until he reached a stool selling jewellery. He looked at each item, but nothing seemed to catch his attention. As he was about to turn away, a gold belt court his eye. He picked it up, it was made from Celtic knot patterns linked to each other. Merlin smiled, Celtic designs had been common since the Romans had left a great many years ago. Many crests had Celtic patterns on them and they looked divine, plus it went perfectly with the fabric Merlin had bought.**

**Merlin quickly bought the belt and kept walking, but he couldn't help but think the dress needed something more. Gwen was to be queen, she needed to have everyone's attention. So the dress had to be stunning, like no other. A queen could not be out done by someone of a lower class, not that Merlin really cared about the class bit. He just knew Gwen had to look every part the queen she is and would soon be.**

**Merlin kept walking, he came to yet another stool and spotted a pair of ear rings. He smiles, they were a Celtic knot design much like the belt he had bought and also made of gold. Each earring had a small pearl on the end, plain but beautiful. They would be the perfect gift from Alice and Hunith. Merlin quickly paid for them and moved on to the next stool. He needed to find a gift, he could say was from Gaius.**

**After much more looking he finally found everything he needed. He had bought some fine gold silk, for the embroidery of the dress and a gold circlet to be a gift from Gaius. It wasn't Gaius's fault he forgot, he was getting old and the two of them had had a lot on their minds. Merlin was glad queen Annis kingdom was so rich, the quality of the things you could buy in the city market was truly a god send. Merlin smiled to himself as he makes his way out of the city and towards the clearing he had passed on the way in, it was time to visit Gwaine's mother.**

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**Merlin made his was quickly through the small town in which Gwaine's mother lived. She lived in a small town just inside the borders of queen Annis's kingdom. The town was a small trading town as well as owning a lot of farming land. No one spared Merlin a second glance as he walked past, cloak pulled tightly around him and hood hanging low over his face.**

**He stops at the door to a small house near the edge of the town. He taps on the door a couple of times and waits. Gwaine's mother had trouble walking, Merlin didn't know why. All he knew was something happened that caused her not to be able to walk properly and still caused her a lot of pain, it had happened after Gwaine left.**

**Merlin smiles as Gwaine's mother opens the door.**

"**Good morning, Radella!" Merlin greets.**

**Radella, Gwaine's mother, smiled. "Good morning, Merlin. I must say I was not expecting you to return."**

**Merlin looks at her. "But I said I would."**

"**I know, but you had no reason to." She answers. "You have travelled a long way to get here."**

**Merlin smiled. "I promised I would come back, so I did."**

**Radella smiles. "I'm glad, it is not often I get people visiting."**

**Merlin smiled. "I promise you: I'll drag Gwaine here, once I can get him away from a tavern that is!"**

**Radella laughs. "I would like that."**

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**Merlin glanced around Radella's home, it was a mess. Merlin wasn't surprised, with Radella's leg the way it was, it must be hard to bend down and clean the floors or balance on a chair to get things down from the tops of cupboards.**

"**Radella, if you don't mind me asking…. What caused your leg injury?" Merlin asks.**

**Radella looked up from where she was sitting, making a dress for Gwen. "Not long after Gwaine left I got work making dresses in the next town over, hence why I offered to make this dress for your friend. But one night I was working late, they offered me to stay the night but I refused. Whilst walking back in the dark, I tripped and fell. The physician who treated me told me and shattered my knee and it would heal, but I would never be able to walk the same again."**

**Merlin winced slightly. "It must have been hard…. And I can't thank you enough for making this dress for my friend."**

"**It is no problem, I'm glad for the work. It has been a long time since I have been able to…. And from what you tell me, this is going to be for the future queen of Camelot, it a true honour."**

**Merlin smiled. "There must be a way I can repay you."**

"**There is no need child." Radella answers. "You have done more than I could ever have hoped for…. You convinced my son to talk to me again and for that I will be for ever grateful."**

**Merlin smiled. "That was nothing…. Gwaine has helped me out before, it was about time I returned the favour."**

**Radella smiles. "How has Gwaine been? Any adventures I should know about?" **

**Merlin laughs. "There are many, he is a knight of Camelot."**

"**Tell me," Radella asks. "Please, I would love to hear about it."**

**Merlin nodes. "Where should I start?... I'll start when I first meet Gwaine. Which was in the middle of a bar fight."**

**Radella laughs. "He was always getting himself in to trouble. Used to drive his father and I mad."**

**Merlin smiles. "Well in the fight Gwaine got hurt. So we took him back to Camelot, I was the physicians apprentice. I and Gwaine became friends, he helped me and I tried my best to help him. He saved me from a couple of knights, who I had found out were actually some people from the bar fight using magic to change their form.**

"**As a result Gwaine got banished from Camelot by Uthur. But he returned in time to save Arthur. The fake knights were using swords which appeared blunt, but were truly sharp. He fought alongside Arthur in the tournament and they won. Not long after that he left again. He said I was his first and best friend, did he not have friends as a child?"**

**Radella sighed, as she rearranged the fabric she was sowing. "He was the child of a knight, but his father didn't let him mix with the other nobles' children…. Said no good would come of it, said that they didn't truly know what it meant to be a knight, even if they were just training. He didn't want Gwaine to be like that, he wanted him to be noble and honourable. **

"**So Gwaine was quite isolated, the only people he knew were the maids and servants. He could mix with the farming children because of the class difference and even when he sneaked out they wouldn't play with him, if he got hurt they would be the ones in trouble. If then staff bought their children to work, they didn't go anywhere near Gwaine."**

**Merlin nodes. "It must have been hard on him…. I only had one friend growing up, no child should feel like an outcast."**

**Radella nodes. "After Gwaine's father died and we moved here, I hoped it would get better, but it didn't. Gwaine started drinking when he was fifteen and has stopped since. I'm not surprised you were his first friend, Gwaine has never known how to make them."**

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**Merlin nodes. "Well the next adventure Gwaine and I went on was to save Arthur. You have no doubt heard about Morgana's betrayal of Camelot…. Well she was a traitor from the moment she was found in the woods.**

"**She gave Arthur an eye of the phoenix bracelet, the eye of the of the phoenix drains the life energy of a person, if they wear it for too long. So I had to go after Arthur, but I needed help. So I went to Gwaine and once again found him in the middle of a bar fight."**

**Radella laughs. "Gwaine will never change."**

**Merlin grins. "He livened the place up, that's for sure…. So after I found him, we went after Arthur. We travelled through the perilous lands. We finally caught up with Arthur, in time to remove the bracelet. Without Gwaine's help I would never have succeeded."**

"**I was always proud of my son, but now I even prouder…. From the day his father died, I thought he was just going to waste away…. Drink himself to death or die as a result of some misdeed or debt. He has created a life for himself and I am happy, I know I will be a peace when my time comes."**

**Merlin looked round in alarm, while he had been telling the stories he had started to clean the house and sort things out, his way of saying thank you. "You're not dying, are you?"**

**Radella shakes her head. "No…. But the winters here are harsh. I have hardly any work and cannot afford medicine for illness, it is only a matter of time."**

**Merlin puts down the pot he was cleaning and walks over to her, he studies the dress she was making. "This is fit for a queen…. I'll put in a good word for you. Gwen will be needing a dress maker, now she is queen to be…. Plus I'm sure Gwaine wouldn't mind you around, he feels so guilty about leaving."**

"**No," Radella mutters. "I can ask nothing of you. You have helped me, without you I would have never heard from Gwaine. You have given me a job, a job I love doing, it has been a long time since I was asked to make a dress like this…. You are cleaning my house, just out of kindness because you know I cannot do it myself."**

**Merlin shakes his head. "Gwen will love you I know for sure…. You remind me of Mary, a friend of hers who looked after her as a child. You need a job and to be with your family…. To be honest with you, I'm fed up of dragging Gwaine out the tavern, someone has to do it! Who better than his mother."**

**Radella smiles. "Gwaine will be Gwaine, he'll just drink twice as fast."**

**Merlin laughs. "I bet he would, I know he's always smuggling drink out on patrols."**

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Merlin watched the landscape change around him, as he rides at the back of the envoy. It wouldn't be long until they reached the border, Merlin smiled it was time he sneaked off. He had to collect the dress from Radella and give it to Gwen along with the other gifts.

Merlin silently jumped down from his horse and commands it to follow the rest of the envoy. He watches until they are out of sight and cast a spell, landing in the clearing outside Radella's village he pulls his hood low over his face and crown and makes his way towards the town. As he approach her house, he spots her waiting at the door.

"Good morning, Radella!" Merlin greets, with his usual cheer.

Radella smiles. "Good morning, Merlin…. I have the dress done. But I would also like to give you a letter to give to my son."

"Of course," Merlin grins. "It turns out Gwaine seems to think I'm a messenger, so I deliver it no problem."

Radella nodes. "Thank you."

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**Merlin sat down, he had finished cleaning and telling Radella of Gwaine's adventures. Sipping a mug of herbal tea, a recipe the druids had given him, it did wonders for your health. Merlin watched Radella work for a moment, she was quite clearly in pain, no doubt from her knee. But there was nothing Merlin could do, magic could only heal when there was something to heal. Radella's injury had healed long ago, but just not properly.**

"**Radella," Merlin asks. "Why did you not go to the druids to get your injury healed? There is a camp near here."**

"**I couldn't walk," Radella answers. "And no one would take me. Magic is not welcomed here, but nor is it hated."**

**Merlin nodes. "I'm sure the druids could provide some pain relief for it."**

**Radella smiled. "I live with it, I have for years…. I do not need to trouble them."**

**Radella was still working on the dress for Gwen and seemed to be happier than Merlin had ever seen her, even if she was in pain. After a moments silence Merlin speaks up.**

"**Gwaine father…." Merlin mutters. "Gwaine never spoke of him. All he said was he died fighting, you and he were left penniless."**

**Radella nodes. "We were."**

**Merlin sips his tea.**

"**Gwaine's father and I were married when I was eighteen," Radella speaks up. "It was a marriage planned by our parents. I never had a say in the matter. We learnt to love each other in time. When I was twenty-eight I fell pregnant with Gwaine, his father was so happy. He trained Gwaine in how to be a knight. Gwaine took to the sword like a duck to water.**

"**A couple of years later I fell pregnant again, this time with a girl. Gwaine adored his sister, she was the closest thing he had to a friend. But then their father split them up, I was left to teach her, while he taught Gwaine. Not long before he died, he married our daughter off to a lord's son in a kingdom far from here, she was sixteen at the time.**

"**I heard word that that kingdom fell and that all nobility had been killed. I believe my daughter is dead, for I have heard no word. Not long after that Gwaine started drinking more than he usually did, until he was drinking until he passed out. He promised he would always look after his sister, he believed he failed her. Then he left after we had a fight, I feared I had lost both my children.**

"**I had no one left…. Gwaine's father died in battle, fighting for the king, may god rest his soul, but the king simply turned us away. I have no idea why, the king was much like Annis, he cared deeply for the people. But for whatever reason he would not help us. So that is how I ended up here, on my own and fearing both my children were gone forever."**

**Merlin stared at Radella for a moment. "I'm sorry, I should never have asked about it."**

**Radella shakes her head, wiping the tears away. "No, I needed to tell someone…. I have never told anyone before. I couldn't speak to Gwaine, it upset him too much."**

"**Do you not have any other family?" Merlin asks. "I can't be good living on your own."**

"**Gwaine's father did have other family but they refused to take us in. I has no family, I was an only child and my parents died not long after Gwaine was born."**

**Merlin sighed. "I always though nobility had a much better life than most…. But it seems the fates are cruel to all those who don't deserve it. Equality in the worst way possible."**

"**I take it you are no stranger to the loss of those you love."**

**Merlin smiled sadly. "I am not…. I have lost many, even though I tried so hard to safe them. It's almost like the fates see those who have kind souls and cannot bare to see the happiness…. Every time I have found true happiness it is ripped from me and town to shreds…. I guess it's the way the world works."**

**Radella smiles. "For someone so young you have seen the greatest horror life has to offer."**

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Hey hoped you liked that, next up is the tears of Uthur Pendragon part two and goblin's gold,

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.


	30. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-nine: The tears of Uthur Pendragon part two and goblin's gold.

Gwen was sitting waiting, she hadn't slept hardly at all last night. She was so worried about Merlin, she knew he had lived but the last she had seen of him was, being carried away by a dragon after being stung by a Serket and left to suffer for hours.

To make matter worse, Arthur was being a prat. He was king, he had to make decision that affected the whole kingdom, yet he couldn't seem to understand Merlin had done the same. He just kept getting angry and blaming Merlin. Merlin had been forced to make hard decisions, the fate of the kingdom resting on those decisions.

Arthur needed to get over it. Gwen understood he was shocked at finding out his best friend had magic and had made difficult decisions. But Merlin was still Merlin. He had warned Arthur time and time again, and Arthur had never listened…. None of them had listened, well Gwen had. But even the knights refused to listen to Merlin's advice sometimes, it was unfair on Merlin…. He had tried his best.

Arthur sits down beside Gwen. "I wanted to say sorry about yesterday…. I didn't mean to get angry at you and I shouldn't have yelled."

Gwen smiles slightly. "It's okay…. You really need to stop getting angry about the decisions Merlin makes, all of them are done for the good of the kingdom. You are king you should understand sometimes you have to make sacrifices to gain in the long run."

"He let the dragon live, Guinevere! It killed many people and almost destroyed the city!"

"And that shows that Merlin is capable of mercy! It shows his heart is kind! It shows he is Merlin, the Merlin we know and love and always will be! If Merlin had not let the dragon go, who would have saved him from the Serkets?"

Arthur sighs. "I couldn't have done that…. If that was me in his place…."

"It shows Merlin is a good person," Gwen smiles. "An honourable person. Someone who is willing to forgive those who are sorry for the things they have done. He is still the same person Arthur, you said you wanted him to return and you want to lift the ban on magic, yet, you cannot even forgive a friend who has been forced to make hard decisions."

"I know," Arthur mutters. "It's just…. Hard. He was…. Is my best friend, but he didn't trust me."

Gwen looks at Arthur. "So this is about the fact he didn't trust you? How could he? If he told you, you were honour bound to hand him over to your father. If you didn't you be breaking the law! Committing treason! Merlin never wanted to put you in that position, where you had to choose between him and your duty to Camelot."

Arthur sighs. "He could have told when I became king."

Before Gwen had chance to reply, Taliesin appeared before them.

"For you to truly understand, young Pendragon, you must see reason. Merlin has done everything he has done to protect you and your kingdom. He even used magic to save Uthur in the past, even though Uthur would have killed him if he ever found out."

Arthur nodes. "I know."

Gwen sighs. "Can we hurry up and start, I have to see Merlin's okay!"

Taliesin smiles. "You and Merlin are close, I see. I know he has often panicked when you've been in trouble."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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**The screen shows Merlin lying on the ledge in the dragons cave, twitching and shivering and his breathing is slightly troubled. But alive much to the relief of everyone watching.**

"Thank god he's alive," Gwen mutters. "The dragon healed him, thank god."

Elyan smiles at his sister. "You know he's still alive, there is nothing to worry about."

Gwen glared at her brother. "I have watched my best friend get stung by Serkets and I have every right to be worried…. He may have lived, but that doesn't stop the fact it happened and none of us knew about it."

Gwaine smiles. "Imagine that, waking up with that massive dragon sitting over you."

Gaius smiles. "Kilgharrah is quite protective of Merlin…. Merlin was until a short while ago the only kin he had."

"Least he was saved," Leon mutters. "That's all that matters…. It must have been so painful."

**The scene changes to Arthur storming into Gaius chambers.**

Tristan looks at Arthur. "He almost dead and all you were worried about was an archery session."

Arthur shifts slightly. "I didn't know he was dying."

Percival shakes his head. "You could have been slightly more considerate, Gaius was quite clearly worried."

**Later that night Morgana slips into Uthur's room.**

"She really did hate him didn't she?" Isolde mutters. "I have never seen someone take such pleasure in causing another pain."

Gwen smiles sadly. "She used to be so kind."

**Back in the dragon cave Merlin once again wakes up.**

"Only Merlin could be worried about the fact he slept to long," Gwaine mutters. "He wasn't the slightest bit bothered he nearly died."

Percival smiles. "And he's worried about Camelot."

Leon smiles. "Merlin does have a lot of courage, the dragon is right."

Gwaine's jaw dropped as he saw Merlin riding on the dragon, but he them smiles.

"Don't get any ideals Gwaine," Leon mutters. "Only dragon lords can ride dragons."

"I'm sure Merlin can allow people to fly with him." Gwaine answers.

Gaius chuckles. "Kilgharrah only lets Merlin ride him when there is no other option, so I doubt he would let Merlin take someone with him."

"Like Merlin needed any more pressure." Elyan mutters. "'The fate of Albion rests in your hands' How Merlin can cope with all that pressure is a miracle."

**The scene changes to show Merlin running through the castle to Gaius's chambers.**

Gwaine smiles. "He didn't answer the question."

Gaius nodes. "It can be so hard to get a straight answer out of him sometimes."

"Straight to the point though," Elyan mutters. "Morgana is plotting with Morgause."

Gaius smiles. "You learn to believe Merlin, he never lies about people…. Even if he does hate them."

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**In Uthur's chambers, they find the place a mess and Uthur cowering in the corner. Merlin quickly finds the root and destroyed it.**

Gwen glances at the ring she had on, it was the same one as Arthur's mother was wearing in the vision Uthur saw.

Gaius sighs. "Mandrake roots, they are horrible things."

Percival nodes. "Merlin was lucky he made it back when he did, I don't think the Uthur would have lasted much longer."

Gaius nodes. "The mind is a fragile thing. Those visions bought old memories to light, ones he tried so hard to forget."

**Merlin and Gaius return to there room and decide what to do about Morgana.**

"It must have been hard, knowing Morgana was the one betraying Camelot and not being able to do anything about it." Tristan mutters.

Gaius nodes. "It was, from then on it was up to Merlin to try his hardest to stop her at every turn. I helped the best I could, but if Uthur had ever heard us speak about her in such a way, he would have had our heads."

Elyan looks at Gaius. "I thought Merlin heard the whole plan, he was quite close to them."

Arthur shakes his head. "No he only heard there was a second part to the plan."

**Morgause watches from her crystal as Cenred's army continues to march towards Camelot. While Leon and a patrol watch as the army marches hidden room view.**

**Back in Camelot Merlin wakes Arthur up.**

Gwen glare at Arthur. "You really can't survive without Merlin can you? That room…. How did you create such a mess in two days?"

Arthur shrugs. "It just happened."

"He was right, he was dying. And you didn't believe him." Elyan mutters.

"And I think Merlin knows better than anyone what it feels like to have the fate of the kingdom resting on his shoulders." Percival adds.

Gwaine laughs. "'I'll have you for breakfast' you do know how wrong that sounded right?"

Arthur just glare at Gwaine.

"All the makings of a great king, Arthur." Leon smiles. "You need to work on your aim, Merlin didn't get hit by any of those objects."

"Which is a good thing." Gwen adds. "You really shouldn't throw things at him, he had just recovered from nearly dying."

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**Morgana watches from her window as Arthur and Merlin walk through courtyard. Before going to Uthur, only to find the root gone.**

"She's a good liar," Isolde mutters. "I would have believed her. Looking for an earring, quite believable."

Gaius smiles. "I holds Merlin's word above all others, I can not think of an occasion where he has been wrong."

Gwen shivers as Morgana threatened Merlin. "She really hated him, didn't she?"

Taliesin speaks up. "Morgana was never told she was the source of the enchantment, Morgause on told her Merlin poisoned her because of the magic she had."

Arthur glances at him. "But why? Wouldn't Morgana have known, she has magic after all? Merlin had magic and the enchantment affected him."

Taliesin shakes his head. "You forget she never knew he had magic, so she thought it was just her magic keeping her safe."

**Later after that patrol has returned, Arthur calls the council together to decide what needs to be done. While Morgana and Merlin just glare at each other.**

"That must have been a hard thing to decide," Isolde mutters. "Going to war like that."

"We couldn't afford to show any sign of weakness," Arthur answers. "We had to show we were strong even when our king was ill."

Tristan nodes. "Camelot is strong, but you had a traitor. You cannot fight a war on to fronts."

Elyan laughs, as he watches Merlin tell Arthur he will protect him. "Merlin always protects you, Merlin probably have the power to rival any god and yet you said it like it was bad thing Merlin was going to protect you."

"I didn't know he was powerful." Arthur answers. "I didn't know he was always saving us."

"He was saving you all the time, Arthur!" Gwen exclaimed. "Did you truly never notice?"

**A day's ride from Camelot, Cenred and Morgause meet.**

"He really would do anything to please her." Gwaine mutters. "Sad really."

Percival nodes. "I wouldn't have trusted her."

"Could he really not see he was being used?" Elyan mutters.

Leon shakes his head. "Cenred was blinded by his own lust."

**Back in Camelot, Arthur and Gwen talk.**

"Gwen is right, worry is not a wise council." Gaius nodes.

Arthur smiles at Gwen. "Your support and council is always welcome Guinevere, even when I don't want to hear it."

Gwen smiles. "And I will always be here to support you."

**As Camelot prepares for battle, Morgana goes to see her sister.**

"That staff," Percival mutters. "It looks powerful."

Gaius nodes. "Rowan is often a wood used for staffs, for rowan is the tree of the goddess."

"So I would be right in guessing Morgana used it to summon the skeletons?" Leon asks.

Gaius nodes. "You would, Morgana simply had to say the spell and the staff used its own power."

"Skeletons?" Tristan asks.

Leon nodes. "An army of them."

Isolde smiles, as she watches Merlin drag food up the steps. "I take Arthur gets in a bad mood if he doesn't eat."

Gwaine smiles. "He is, but his moods are even worse if Merlin's not around…. Merlin used to disappear for weeks sometimes. When that happened every one kept out of the princess's way."

Isolde laughs. "It just shows he cares."

Arthur scoffs. "I was in a bad mood because I had no servant."

"As I remember," Leon smiles. "You had George, Merlin was always so keen on making him, his replacement."

Arthur groans. "Don't remind me."

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**Cenred's army surround the castle and Arthur watches his army prepare, before Merlin readies him for battle.**

Gwaine grins. "See that, Merlin told you about you destiny. Maybe if you had listened to what Merlin tells you, you would have worked it out a long time before now princess."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "My destiny has nothing to do with Merlin's magic."

"Have you not been listening," Tristan snaps. "Merlin's magic has everything to do with your destiny. He is the one who has protected you and will help you unite the lands."

Isolde places a hand on Tristan's arm. "Tristan is right, without Merlin protecting you and guiding you, you would never be who you are today. Without magic Merlin would never have been able to protect you."

"And Arthur can never give a complement." Gwaine grins. "Merlin is wise, and the best friend you could hope for and yet Arthur still can't give him a complement or show him how much he cares."

**And so the battle begins, waking Uthur from his sleep.**

"Well it's good to see you don't send your men in first," Tristan mutters. "You lead them."

Arthur nodes. "Kings who send their men into war, but do not lead them are cowards."

"So like Cenred then," Elyan mutters. "He just stood and watched."

**As Uthur makes his way into battle, Merlin warns Gaius to keep an eye on Morgana. And so Merlin heads out to find Arthur. Meanwhile Uthur has just joined Arthur on the front line, but is shot and Arthur calls a retreat. Merlin uses magic to summon flames across the enemies' path to stop them from advancing.**

Gwaine laughs. "Merlin used magic in front of two armies and no one noticed, no wonder he finds it so easy to hide."

Elyan smiles. "It stopped their advance, I bet Merlin could have beaten them all on his own."

Leon nodes. "But I doubt Merlin would have wanted to."

"He only uses magic when there is no other way." Percival agrees. "He knows the damage he can cause and he uses his power wisely."

Gaius sighs. "He has a good heart and that will never change…. It just makes the losses he suffers all the more painful."

Gwen smiles sadly. "Merlin suffers so much and yet gets so little in return."

**Back in the castle Morgana sneaks away and Gaius follows.**

"She was hiding behind the door," Gaius mutters shaking his head. "I should have checked."

Gwen shakes her head. "She would have killed you, if you had found her."

Elyan nodes in agreement. "She most definitely would have, I don't think it would have mattered whether it was you or not. She would have killed whoever it was."

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**Merlin helps Uthur to get his injuries treated and Gaius warns him Morgana has gone. Morgana makes her way down to the burial vaults and uses the staff.**

"What was that?" Leon asks. "It was like Merlin got hit by a shock wave."

"That," Gaius explains. "Is what happens when strong magic is used. The sudden increase of power, is like an explosion filling the world around it. It will affect Merlin like that, because the fabric of his being is magic its self. For normal sorcerers they will feel the change, but not be too badly affected it depends on the level of power."

"So that's why Morgause didn't seem affected by it?"

Gaius nodes. "She simply felt the level of power shift, like you would feel the temperature change."

Gwen gasps in horror as the first skeleton breaks free from its tomb. The others look slightly horrified as more skeletons break free. They all knew you couldn't kill a skeleton, they were only bone after all.

Taliesin shivered. "Such dark magic, for someone so young."

**In the court yard Arthur finally finds Merlin. Only for the skeletons to appear shortly after.**

Gwen looks at Arthur. "Where did you think he was? He can't just follow you around all the time."

Arthur sighs. "Things just feel safer when Merlin's around."

Gwaine shivers. "Merlin looks horrified…. And I can see why!"

"God," Percival mutters. "They look worse than the immortal army were fought."

"Hey see that," Elyan grins. "Merlin cut its arm off!"

Arthur rolls his eyes. "He's still an idiot."

**Back in the make shift hospital, Merlin tells Gaius to seal it off.**

"He was brave, going to try and stop Morgana like that." Gwen mutters. "She could use magic, because Merlin knew she had it. But be couldn't or otherwise Morgana would find out."

Elyan shivers as Merlin enters the vaults, to find Morgana there. "He has some nerve, I'll give him that."

Percival nodes. "Facing Morgana alone, not many are foolish enough to do that."

**They watched as Merlin and Morgana battled, Merlin truly wasn't half bad with a sword.**

"He not bad with a sword is he?" Tristan mutters. "But Morgana is clearly quite skilled."

Isolde smiled. "He's quite good at dodging too."

Gwaine and Gwen cheer as Merlin destroyed the staff after dropping the ceiling on Morgana.

"I am glad he destroyed that staff." Leon smiles. "We wouldn't have lasted much longer."

**With the skeletons gone, Camelot army forces Cenred's man out of the city and Cenred calls off the attack.**

"Hmm," Gwaine mutters. "Seems Cenred does have a brain."

Percival rolls his eyes. "Anyone who continued the attack would have been an idiot."

Elyan laughs. "Cenred was no fool, he was cowardly but sly. But he knew when something was hopeless."

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**In the great hall, Morgana is hailed a hero.**

"That must have been hard," Isolde mutters, shaking her head. "Watching the person who caused it all, take the credit."

Tristan nodes. "Merlin must have hated that. He almost single handily won the battle and Morgana took all the credit when it was her doing in the first place."

"I'm glad Merlin knows when to hold his tongue," Gaius mutters. "I feared he would have claimed Morgana the traitor right there."

Gwaine nodes. "I guess that's why Merlin got fed up of 'living in the shadows'. Everyone else got the credit for his hard work."

Elyan nodes. "If it wasn't for Merlin's bravery Camelot wouldn't be standing today."

Arthur looks at the screen. "Merlin is brave…. Braver than many of the knights back in Camelot."

"Lancelot once told me: Merlin was the bravest of us all." Percival mutters. "Now I know why…. I always thought it was because he followed us in to battles and always stood up to those doing wrong."

**As Gaius and Merlin sit down to eat they talk about Morgana.**

"Uthur was blinded by love," Gaius sighs. "And that love killed him."

"Dragoon killed Uthur not Morgana." Arthur answers.

Gaius didn't answer.

Gwen sighs. "Merlin was right…. She became so angry and bitter. She hated everyone…. Even me and I was once her best friend."

Gwaine laughs as Merlin tells Gaius nothing could make him like Morgana, only to change his mind when Arthur came storming in. "Good old Merlin, he'll never change."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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**The scene appears of Merlin entering the library in search of a book for Gaius.**

Gaius smiled. "Geoffrey always puts work first…. I can see why Merlin gets so annoyed about always having to wait."

Gwaine laughs. "Good luck with finding a book that hasn't been seen for years."

"East is that way!" Elyan laughs.

Percival smiles. "Imagine if Geoffrey hadn't told him, he would have been looking for hours."

Leon laughed. "Just Merlin luck that the book is on the top shelf."

Gwaine smirked. "I didn't know there was a secret room in the library!"

Arthur looked surprised. "Doesn't look like anyone has been in there for years."

"A book on magic?" Gwen asks, as Merlin picks up a book.

Gaius nodes. "It appears so, what type of magic I don't know."

"Did that box just growl?" Isolde asks, as Merlin tripped over a box.

"I think it did," Tristan answers, as the box makes noises again. "He's going to open it, isn't he?"

Gwen jumps as the goblin bursts out the box.

"What is that?" Leon asks.

"A goblin." Gwen answers, she had helped Merlin catch it.

"Well, that is one creepy looking thing." Gwaine mutters.

"It's a goblin," Gwen repeats. "Not a thing."

Leon shakes his head, as the goblin starts throwing things. "Trust Merlin to release a goblin."

"To be fair, he didn't know what was in the box." Percival defends Merlin.

"When something is trapped in a box, it's usually trapped for a reason." Elyan answers.

Gaius shakes his head. "Uthur trapped many harmless creature of magic too. It could have been anything."

"Good luck with that," Gwaine laughs, as Merlin tries to get the goblin back in the box. "You are going to need it."

The Knights all laugh, as Merlin fails to catch the goblin and it escapes into the castle.

Gaius shakes his head. "Least he got the book."

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"I like this goblin," Gwaine grins. "It totally ruined Arthur's room."

Gwen glares at Gwaine. "You do relies Merlin was the one who had to clean it up, as well as catch the goblin."

"It could have been worse," Arthur mutters. "That could have been Uthur's room."

"You don't seem to bothered by the fact a goblin ruined your room?" Leon mutters.

Arthur smiled. "My room had never been cleaner after Merlin finished."

"Spring cleaning," Gwen shakes her head. "Why do we even believe what Merlin tells us sometimes?"

Elyan laughs. "I got a feeling that goblin is going to cause Merlin a lot of trouble."

Percival smiles. "I bet morgana really enjoyed her room being messed up like that."

Leon frowns. "Her healing bracelet, I didn't think she took it off…. I don't think I have ever seen her without it."

Everyone laughs as Gwen catches Merlin picking up all Morgana jewellery the goblin had thrown around.

"I think it did suit him," Arthur mutters. "He is a girl after all."

Gwen slaps Arthur's arm. "Don't be mean."

**Gaius and Merlin find out what the creature is just as Arthur comes in asking for them.**

"A matter of great importance," Leon mutters. "I hope for Merlin's sake the goblin hasn't been spotted."

"Oh no," Gwaine mutters. "It was just Uthur, no harm done."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "He was my father."

"We know princes."

Arthur watches as he warns Merlin not to laugh. "If any of you laugh, I swear you'll be put in exile forever."

Gwaine smiles. "That won't be a problem for me, Merlin said I was welcome to stay in his kingdom whenever I needed to."

Arthur just glares at Gwaine. "Don't laugh."

**Arthur, Gaius and Merlin enter Uthur's room, to find him hiding behind a screen.**

Gwaine instantly bursts out laughing as he sees Uthur with no hair, Elyan shortly follows and in a matter of seconds they are both rolling on the floor laughing.

Percival covers his mouth in try and hide the fact he too is laughing, but the tears of mirth that slide down his cheeks are a dead giveaway.

Leon tries his hardest to keep a straight face, but just can't keep from smiling and soon is chuckling quietly.

Isolde and Tristan hold each other for support as they laugh, they had hated Uthur and the way he ruled and to see him with no hair was worth the hardship.

Gwen was laughing softly, while Gaius couldn't help but smile. At the time he had been too scared of what would happen to Merlin is anyone found out he released the goblin, to actually see the humour of it all.

Arthur just stood their glaring at them, but couldn't help the small smile that forced its way on to his face.

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**So Gaius and Merlin come up with a plan to catch the goblin. But for that plan they needed gold and lots of it. So later that night, Merlin steals Arthur's chest of gold.**

"Merlin is good at hiding," Gwaine laughs. "Hide behind the chair."

Leon smiles. "It was dark, so it was a good spot to hide in."

Elyan looks at Arthur. "Like who ever had sneaked into your room was just going to admit it."

Arthur rolls his eyes.

Everyone bursts out laughing as Merlin dropped the curtains of Arthur bed on him.

"Princess, I never knew you could be beaten by something that wasn't even alive." Gwaine laughs.

"Shut up, Gwaine."

Elyan grins. "I love how Merlin just hung around to watch."

Percival nodes. "Wouldn't you? That was so un-princely!"

**And so Gaius and Merlin set up the trap.**

Gwen smiled as the goblin fell into their trap. "It wasn't cleaver was it, a trail of gold leading to a box of gold had to be a trap."

"It was blinded by greed." Gaius muttered. "But goblins are dangerous creatures."

Everyone watched in shock as the goblin possessed Gaius.

"That isn't good." Elyan mutters.

**They watch as the goblin possessed Gaius ruins his chambers and forces Merlin to clean it up while he goes to the tavern. Where he wins as arm weasel and some gold. The following morning he yells at Merlin.**

"I think Merlin has noticed something is up with Gaius." Percival mutters.

Elyan nodes. "But what can he do about it?"

Leon watches as Gaius talks to Morgana. "How did we miss Morgana being evil, if even a goblin could spot it?"

Gaius shakes his head. "I knew Morgana was evil, the goblin may have just used the information I knew to be true."

**They watch as Gaius began charging for the medicine he was giving the towns people. And even Gwen.**

Gaius looked ashamed. "I feel so bad for doing that."

Gwen place a hand on his arm. "It wasn't you it was the goblin, you have nothing to feel bad for."

Gaius sighs. "I should have been able to fight the hold the goblin had on me."

Taliesin shakes his head. "Goblin have strong and ancient magic, only those of high power can fight the control of a goblin."

Everyone laughs as Gaius treats Uthur and slaps his head.

"You looked like you were having way to much fun doing that…. Well the goblin does!" Gwaine grins.

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**Merlin works out Gaius is the goblin, after he walks in on him licking gold.**

"Finally!" Gwaine mutters. "He's worked it out."

Gaius smiled. "Merlin and I know each other so well, I am glad he cares enough to protect me even if he doesn't know how."

Gwen smiles. "You are like a father to him, Gaius, he will always protect you."

Gaius smiles. "He is like a son to me, I could not ask for a better blessing than Merlin was, when he turned up in my room all those years ago."

"What the goblin said was true wasn't it?" Leon mutters. "He couldn't harm the goblin without harming Gaius."

Taliesin nodes. "That is true."

**Elsewhere in the court room, the council is in session. And Gwen started passing wind.**

Gwen hide her face in her hands. "I have never been more embarrassed in all my life."

"Don't worry, Gwen," Isolde comforts her. "It happened to Morgana and Uthur too."

Gwen shakes her head. "It was still so embarrassing."

**Back in Gaius quarters, Merlin is waiting for Gaius to return.**

Gaius shakes his head. "He should never have let the goblin know he had magic."

Percival nodes. "I can see how that would end in trouble."

"That was amazing!" Gwaine grins. "Did you see that with the knife? It was awesome."

Arthur sighs. "Aren't you the slightest bit bothered that the goblin now knows Merlin has magic?"

Gwaine shakes his head. "Merlin is alive isn't he, nothing that bad could have happened."

**Gaius makes his way down to the library where he insults Geoffrey.**

Gaius shakes his head. "I called one of my oldest friends 'fatty'."

Gwaine laughs. "You've spent too much time with Merlin, he's always calling Arthur fat."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "I like to see how you feel if you got called fat."

"Now you see, Arthur," Gwaine explains. "I'm not fat, unlike some people, so no one would ever have reason to say I am."

"I AM NOT FAT!" Arthur yells.

Percival grins. "Merlin is always adding holes to your belt, sire. Maybe it time you lay of the feasts, don't think?"

Arthur glares at them. "I'll have you know I am the king! I have to attend feasts."

"Oh no," Gwen gasps. "He's got the spell book."

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**Elsewhere in the castle Merlin is looking for Arthur, but gets arrested. **

"He got arrested for sorcery!" Isolde exclaimed. "That goblin must have really wanted him out the way."

Gaius looks positively horrified. "I still can't believe I did that, hand him over like that."

"Gaius it wasn't you, it was the goblin." Gwen comforts Gaius.

Leon shakes his head. "Like the king would have believed Gaius was possessed by a goblin."

Elyan nodes. "He had to try."

"He was sentenced to death," Tristan mutters. "Morgana looked pleased about that."

Percival nodes. "She was the only one besides the goblin, who was. With no Merlin to stop her, think of the things she could do."

**Later that night Gaius is at the tavern, when he nearly gets in a fight with Leon.**

Everyone looked slightly shocked as Gaius spat mead all over Leon.

Gaius looks ashamed. "I am so sorry, Leon."

"No," Leon answers. "It's okay, it was the goblin not you."

"Some knight you are, Leon," Gwaine mutters. "Drawing a sword on an old man."

**Later that night, Merlin escapes the dungeons using magic to steal the guards' keys.**

"Neat spell," Gwaine grins. "Next time we all get kidnapped or Morgana takes over the castle, remind Merlin to use that spell. It will save us spending days in a cell."

Percival nodes. "It would be really useful."

They watch as Merlin goes to sneak past the guards as the warning bell is sounded.

"Good thing, he's a fast runner." Elyan mutters. "Or he would never have got past those guards."

**Gwen who is woken by the alarm bell and hears someone in her house only for Merlin to come up behind her.**

"Merlin really does know how to scare people, doesn't he?" Gwaine mutters.

Gwen shakes her head. "I was more surprised to see him there, than anything else."

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**The following day Arthur informs the court that Merlin escaped.**

"I surprised Uthur didn't arrest Gaius for speaking out in such a way." Percival mutters.

Gwaine grins. "Look at that, Arthur isn't a complete idiot, he's worked out there is something up with Gaius."

**Back in Gwen's house, Merlin is trying to work out a way to force the goblin out of Gaius. He asks Gwen to speak to Arthur.**

"Too embarrassed to speak to him," Elyan mutters. "It happens to everyone you know Gwen."

"Yes, but not in public." Gwen answers.

Leon smiles. "Least Merlin convinced you."

Gwen nodes. "I was glad I could help."

**Back in the castle Arthur is watching out his window, not long after Gaius appears.**

Gaius goes pale. "I would never look forward to Merlin being hung."

Arthur nodes. "I know, it wasn't you Gaius it was the goblin."

Gwaine gasps. "Did you really admit Merlin was right?"

"No," Arthur mutters. "I simply said he was telling the truth."

Elyan shock his head. "You got knocked out with a pot."

**As Gaius leaves he passes Gwen, well hides as she passes. After entering Arthur's room, Gwen finds Arthur.**

Arthur just went slightly red and wouldn't meet anyone's eye, he knew what was coming.

Gwaine bursts into uncontrollable laughter as he sees Arthur with donkey ears. "That goblin was brilliant."

Elyan smiled. "Only Gwen would find that adorable."

Gwen smiled. "It was sweet, the ears were so soft."

Percival laughed. "I bet you would never have lived that down if Merlin had seen you."

Leon nodes. "He does call you an 'ass' a lot. That would have proven his point."

**Back at Gwen's house, she informs Merlin of Arthur's condition.**

Elyan looks at his sister. "You can't tell someone it's not funny, while you nearly laughing yourself."

Gwen smiles. "It was funny, Arthur looked so helpless."

"So Merlin comes up with a plan." Percival mutters. "It's about time."

"Yeah but that plan is to kill Gaius." Leon answers.

Gaius sighs. "It was a good plan and the only plan, I'm glad they took the risk."

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**And so Gwen and Merlin set up their plan.**

Tristan glances at Gaius. "Did you not teach him about poisons?"

"I did teach him about them," Gaius answers. "But I was always the one who treated people who were poisoned. There is a difference in knowing and dealing with something."

"Gwen, you looked disgusted." Elyan mutters. "He was only licking gold."

Gwen smiled. "I know, but think of all the people who have held those coins."

Percival looked worried as Gwen lost the antidote for the poison. "That must have been horrible, losing the bottle like that."

Gwen nodes. "I was terrified, losing it meant Gaius would die."

"Thank god Merlin caught the goblin." Leon mutters.

"Thank god Merlin found the antidote."

Gaius smiled. "Why Merlin thought yelling would help I'll never know."

**Back in the council chambers, Gaius confuses that he was possessed by a goblin and was responsible for ever thing that happened.**

"Why my father had to tell the whole court I had donkey ears, I don't know." Arthur mutters, still embarrassed.

Gwaine smiled. "So that goblin is in the vaults."

"Don't even think about releasing it Gwaine." Arthur warns.

Leon smiled. "I take it that was one of Merlin's less dangerous adventures."

"Less dangerous! He was sentenced to death." Elyan exclaimed.

Percival smiles. "We should have guesses he had magic…. How many times has he been accused of sorcery now?"

Arthur smiled. "He would never have been caught…. He was too safe."

Gwen nodes in agreement. "We only know because he chose to save Isolde."

**The scene changes to Arthur and Gwen awkward meeting in the hall way.**

"Awkward." Gwaine mutters.

Arthur and Gwen smile at each other.

**The scene changes to show Arthur training while Merlin and Gaius watch. As Arthur laughs he suddenly brays and Merlin and Gaius laugh, after Merlin pleads to let the spell stay for one more day.**

"MERLIN!"

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**Hey hope you liked that, some people said they wanted Arthur to accept Merlin's magic more so hope he appeared more accepting in this chapter :) **

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	31. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty: We need to talk, Merlin.

Gwen yawned as she sat down, she was glad Arthur was calming down. He hadn't blamed Merlin, yet. Although his mood was unpredictable, he had just found out Merlin hadn't released the donkey spell straight away. Gwen knew it was revenge for all the objects Arthur had ever thrown at him over the years, but Arthur was not pleased.

Arthur himself was truly annoyed, how dare Merlin leave the spell on for longing than needed! It had been one of the single most embarrassing moments of his life. The only thing that topped it was his trousers falling down in the middle of that council meeting. So Arthur began plotting how he would get revenge on Merlin, forgetting Merlin had powerful magic. Whatever Arthur could do, Merlin could do ten times better with magic.

Gwaine was grinning like an idiot, he had seen Uthur with no hair! Not everyone got the chance to see that. Seeing Uthur so often and looking so alive, he had keep reminding himself that Uthur was dead, so therefore Uthur couldn't kill Merlin. Gwaine would have sooner died than to have ever let Uthur kill Merlin.

Percival was still in awe. Merlin was taking so many risk to save Camelot, risks some knights wouldn't even take. Percival was glad he could call Merlin his friend and glad Merlin would always have his back, if ever Percival got into any kind of magical trouble. Percival smiles, he hoped Arthur got over himself soon because, Merlin would most definitely be a good court sorcerer.

Leon was still slightly shocked, Merlin was powerful. He had defeated everything thrown his way and had little to no help at all. Leon couldn't help but smile as he thought of all the trouble the goblin had caused Merlin. He knew without a doubt Merlin would rather face a goblin or any other magical creature, than Arthur right now. Arthur was in the mood for revenge.

Elyan smiled as he thought about everything Merlin had done, he was loyal. He winced slightly as he thought about all the injuries he had suffered. It couldn't have been easy fighting Morgana on his own. Elyan glanced at Arthur, he would never admit it, but he missed Merlin just as much as everyone else, if not more.

Tristan glanced around, his gaze settling on Arthur for a moment. Arthur didn't hate Merlin, he was jealous. He had watched Merlin go on so many adventure, Arthur was jealous of people who had helped Merlin. Not that many had, he was also annoyed Merlin had never trusted him. Tristan could understand that, Merlin was his best friend.

Isolde watched the crystal, as they pulsed with magic around them. The level of care Arthur showed for Merlin, couldn't be destroyed by a couple of choices made to save the kingdom and keep it safe. Merlin and Arthur friendship was strong, it could not be destroyed that easily. Arthur had after all risked being caught in the caves when he went back to try and find Merlin, all the two of them needed to do was sit down and talk.

Gaius sighed Arthur and Merlin had come so far, they had gone from hating each other to being like brothers. This problem Arthur seemed to be having with the decisions Merlin had made would do little to no damage to their friendship, Arthur usually over reacted. So all Arthur needed to do was calm down and talk to Merlin.

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Merlin grinned as he appeared just inside the crystal caves, no one had noticed him yet, so he slowly walked forward until he was standing next to Taliesin.

"How many adventures have they seen now?" Merlin asks.

Taliesin turns. "My lord!"

"Please don't call me that," Merlin mutters. "There is no need."

Taliesin nodes. "In answer to your question, they have just finished watching 'goblin's gold'."

Merlin smiled. "Does that mean Arthur knows I left the spell on for longer?"

Taliesin nodes. "I'm afraid it does."

"Merlin!" Gaius suddenly exclaimed, spotting him from the other side of the cave.

This got everyone else's attention as they turned to look.

Gaius pulled Merlin into a hug. "My boy, what are you doing here?"

Merlin smiled, as he pulled of his cloak, he was still dressed in his royal robes and crown. "I have a letter for Gwaine and I need to speak with Gwen."

Everyone was slightly shocked at Merlin's appearance, they had all seen him being crowned, but it was still a surprise.

"A letter?" Gwaine asks.

"Yeah," Merlin answers. "You know where someone rights a message on a bit of paper for someone else."

Gwaine glares at Merlin, who just laughs and hands him the letter.

Gwaine grins. "Thanks, for delivering this…. I've never known a king to deliver a letter before."

Merlin rolls his eyes. "Just because I am king of the druids doesn't mean I can't do things myself. Believe it or not I don't even have a servant…. Sadly when we visited queen Annis I had to have a servant."

Leon looks at Merlin. "You visited queen Annis?"

Merlin nodes. "I signed a peace treaty with her this morning. I also have peace talks coming up with king Rodor and king Godwin in the next couple of days and possible king Olaf."

Leon looked surprised. "Queen Annis hardly signs any peace treaties, Uthur tried to form an alliance with her for years."

Merlin shrugged. "All that matter is we have peace between the kingdoms. She is a powerful ally and the peace between our kingdoms will last for many years to come, I hope."

"Would you sign a peace treaty with Camelot?" Arthur suddenly asks.

Merlin glanced at Arthur, he could tell Arthur was angry for some reason. "I would…. But my kingdom is about to go to war, I do not have time to shunned and prosecuted by your council. Their hatred for magic is strong, until I know they will not attempt to harm me or the envoy I travel with, I will not risk a peace talk."

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Merlin turned to Gwen and smiled. "Gwen, I need to speak with you…. I wish to apologise."

Gwen frowns. "Why? You haven't done anything."

"I forgot your birthday." Merlin answers. "I'm sorry."

Gwen shakes her head. "It wasn't you fault, I was in exile."

Merlin nodes. "Well you won't mind if I give you your presents now then?"

"Merlin, there is no need to get me anything." Gwen mutters.

Merlin grins. "There is every need, Gwen, you are my best friend!"

Gwen smiled. "And you are mine."

Merlin beamed and reached into the pack he had placed on the floor. "This," He explains holding out a small gift. "Is from my mother, Hunith."

Gwen took the gift and slowly opened it, it was a pair of earrings. "Oh, they are beautiful!" Gwen gasps. "You must thank Hunith for me."

Merlin smiled. "I will. This is from Alice." Merlin holds out the second gift.

"Alice?" Gwen asks, taking the gift.

Merlin nodes. "Gaius's love."

Gwen held the gold belt in her hands. "This is amazing, thank you!"

Merlin grinned and held out a third gift. "This is from Gaius."

Gwen glanced at Gaius, who smiled quickly before giving Merlin a questioning gaze, which Merlin returned with a small smile.

"Wow!" Gwen gasp. "This is perfect." In her hands she held a golden circlet. She rushes over to Gaius and pulls him into a hug. "Thank you so much."

Merlin shifted slightly as he held out the fourth and final gift. "And this is from me, happy birthday Gwen!"

Gwen held out the dress, speechless. It was a deep scarlet colour, with gold embroidery of roses and vines on the shelves and around the shoulder. Gwen held it up against herself, it was beautiful and suited her perfectly.

She looked up at Merlin. "I can't have this…. It's for nobility."

"Gwen," Merlin answers. "You are to be queen of Camelot, you are nobility!"

Gwen wrapped her arms around Merlin hugged him. "Thank you."

Merlin grinned. "You're welcome."

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Merlin sat down on the cave floor beside Gaius and Gwen. He had agreed to stay and talk for a while, they may have seen many of his adventures but not all questions could be a seared by Gaius and Taliesin.

Tristan was the first to speak up. "The high priestess Nimueh, you killed her. I was have heard it said that those who killed a high priest or priestess were punished, so why weren't you?"

Merlin sighs. "Nimueh wasn't innocent…. She abused her power. After the purge started, she turned her hand to dark magic. For twenty years she studied the dark arts and many forms of dark magic which were banned from practice by the high council of old.

"She trained Morgause in those arts too, and in turn she trained Morgana. That's how Morgana knew forms of dark magic such as necromancy among others. Lucky for Camelot, forms of dark magic take a lot of power, so attacks from such magic hardly ever happened.

"The spells and magic the three of them used where punishable by death, if used for evil purposes. The same if I was to use them for dark proposes, I would be sentenced to death or imprisoned by the Sidhe elders. The only ones with the power to kill high priestesses were high priest or high priestess of a higher order.

"I am the last high priest of the triple goddess, much like Morgana was the last high priestess of the triple goddess. I alone had the power to kill Nimueh for her crimes, so I did. But at the time I didn't know I had to, I simply killed her because she treated the people I care about…. So in answer to your question, no, I will not be killed for killing three high priestess of the old religion."

"Three?" Isolde asked. "You only killed Nimueh."

Merlin shakes his head sadly. "I doomed Morgause to die when I used magic to throw her into a wall. The head injury she suffered would have killed her, if she had been sacrificed first…. I used a spell to bind Morgana's magic when you took back Camelot, allowing her to be killed by a mortal weapon. If I hadn't cast that spell she would still be alive."

Tristan nodes. "You are high priest of the triple goddess, why not a god?"

Merlin smiles. "There is a high priest and a high priestess of every god and goddess, the triple goddess is simply the highest order, the ones with the most power."

Isolde glances at Merlin. "How are you high priest? You have had no training as far as I know."

Merlin smiled. "You don't have to be trained, although most are and I will be trained when there is time. You just need the power and the knowledge of the old religion, training is simply to gain higher power and more knowledge."

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"Sigan." Leon muttered. "Is his tomb really safe under Camelot."

Merlin nodes. "It is. I have placed many spell on it, if anyone tries to brake in I'll know about it. Also to get past the spells, you would have to have powerful magic and know where the tomb is, for the mine was sealed also."

Leon stared at Merlin. "Surly the spell will lose power over time?"

Merlin shakes his head. "You have a great many magical objects in the Camelot vaults, I simply bound the spell to many of those objects. Their magic is what powers the spell, and that power will not run out for many years."

Elyan looks up. "Did Sigan really use magic to build Camelot?"

Merlin nodes. "He did, but the magic within the stone is weak. Almost all the magic has faded into the land around the castle."

Elyan nodes. "What is a sorcerer uses the magic within the walls to destroy Camelot?"

Merlin laughed. "That would be impossible for most sorcerers to do."

"How so?" Leon asks.

"Because the magic was Sigan's. Only Sigan can use his magic…. Everyone who uses magic has their own magic signature, only they can control their power."

"But you have undone the work of many sorcerers in the past." Elyan mutters.

"When someone casts a spell, only they can control it…. Counter spells, simply defeat, deflect or destroy the other sorcerers magic, but never controls it. That is why I couldn't use magic to kill Arthur when Morgana enchanted me, a sorcerers magic can only be controlled by them of their free will…."

"You tried to kill Arthur!" Leon hissed.

Merlin runs the back of his head nervously. "I guess you haven't seen that yet, have you? I've had so many adventure I sometimes forget the order. And yes I did try and kill Arthur, Morgana caught me and enchanted me to. I would never do it lf my own free will."

"What about dragon's?" Elyan asked, before Leon can reply. "You could force Kilgharrah to do magic against his will?"

Merlin nodes. "But that is only because I am a dragon lord. Most creatures of magic cannot be controlled by another, hence why people never have pet griffins."

Leon shakes his head, before asking. "So Camelot is completely safe from Sigan and his magic?"

Merlin sighs. "It is possible someone of high power can release Sigan, but it is unlikely and if it did happen I would know about it."

Elyan smiled. "Lets hope for Sigan's sake that never happens."

Merlin glanced at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

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Percival hadn't really thought of any questions he wanted Merlin to answer, he knew he would never truly understand magic and its laws, he knew the basics. He was simply happy to watch Merlin do his thing and not worry about the odd unanswered question.

Merlin glanced at him. "No questions?"

Percival shakes his head. "Not really, I'll never truly understand the magical world."

Merlin smiled. "You must have at least one question."

Percival thinks for a moment. "The knights of Medhir."

"What about them?" Merlin asked.

"Were they wraiths? I mean they were immortal, they seemed a lot like the wraith Nimueh created to try and kill Uthur."

Merlin sighs. "The knights were neither dead or alive…. They were both but neither at the same time. The magic used was complicated. From what I understand of it, their souls were trapped between this world and the next, leaving them suspended between life and death.

"When Morgause awoke them, the simply called the tormented souls back to the bodies, causing them to live once more. Being alive nor dead meant they could not be killed or feel pain, nor did they have a conscience. I may be wrong but that is how I understand it to work…. I am yet to practice that kind of magic."

Before Percival can speak Gwaine comes bounding over and sits down. "I have a question, can you turn this water into mead?"

Merlin glares at him for a second, before meeting Percival's gaze and his eyes flash gold. Percival noticing the flash of gold in Merlin's eyes turned to look at Gwaine and bursts out laughing, Gwaine looked at him.

"What?" He asked.

Merlin tried to hide a smile. "Do you have a serious question or not?"

Gwaine thinks for a moment. "Can you give Arthur donkey ears again?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "No, seriously, do you have any questions?"

Gwaine shakes his head. "All I need to know is why you have done what you have done and that has already been answered. I don't need to know what magic was used, or why you were never punished for killing high priestess. All that matters is, we are safe, Camelot is safe and not all magic is evil."

"I have a question," Percival quickly mutters. "How is the spell you just did elemental based…. Gaius said you could only do elemental based spells without the use of a spell."

Merlin smiled. "I did use a spell, I just incanted a spell in my mind, what Gaius said is true, I can only do elemental based spells with no spells at all."

Gwaine grins suddenly. "I have a question, Sidhe staff?"

"What about it?" Merlin asked.

"Only the Sidhe can use them, so how can you?"

Merlin smiled. "I know the basics about Sidhe magic, so therefore I have basic control over weapons created by them. The spells I use whole wielding the Sidhe staff are said in the Sidhe tongue."

Percival glances at Merlin. "How many languages do you know?"

Merlin smiles. "A lot, I know many of the magical languages and a couple of the old tongues. I'm mostly able to read them, rather than speak them…. You have to when you live with Gaius, many of his books are in different languages and scripts."

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Gwen pulls Merlin into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Merlin asks, slightly confused.

"You have had to suffer all those years on your own and for that I am sorry." Gwen almost cries. "I'm you are my best friend, I should have been there for you, like you were there for me."

Merlin hugged Gwen back before pulling away. "It's okay Gwen…. If I had told you about my magic it would have endangered you. If Uthur ever found out, he would have executed everyone who knew about my magic…. All that mattered was you were all safe."

Gwen smiled sadly. "I should have noticed you were suffering…. There were times when you were so upset and I never asked why."

Merlin grinned. "Least you noticed, I am glad you noticed, it shows you cared."

Gwen hugged Merlin again and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for healing my father!"

Merlin laughed. "I'm sorry about getting you accused of witchcraft."

Gwen shook her head. "You healed my father and saved me. Getting accused of witch craft was scary I'll admit, but you didn't give up on me."

Merlin grinned. "So do you have any questions?"

Gwen thinks for a moment, before glancing round and whispering. "I know you are Dragoon."

Merlin glanced at her sharply. "How?"

"Gaius said you took my place when I was accused of enchanting Arthur…. Dragoon was the sorcerer who took my place, so you must be Dragoon."

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I am. I used an aging spell, I knew Morgana planted a poultice under Arthur pillow to frame you…. There was no way I could prove it was Morgana's doing, so I took your place."

Gwen smiled. "Thank you."

"You're not mad I played a part in killing Uthur?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, you would never kill anyone unless they threatened the people you cared about. I know you went there to heal him…. But some times people are just meant to die, you can't save everyone."

Merlin nodes. "I sometimes wish I could undo what happened that day…. But the past is the past."

Gwen nodes. "You tried your best and that's all that matters."

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Arthur glared at Merlin for a moment. "Why did you let the dragon live?"

Merlin stared at Arthur. "Why do you think? I'm a dragon lord, it is my job to protect the dragons."

"It killed hundreds of people!"

"So have you!" Merlin answers. "You kill bandits, armies that attack Camelot and any other thing people who mean you or the kingdom harm. How is that any different?"

"I killed them for a reason, to protect my people. The dragon was killed for the pleasure of it."

"Kilgharrah does not kill for the pleasure of it, Arthur, he kills when he has to or when he has to protect those he cares about. When he attacked Camelot he was angry and felt the need for revenge."

"Why would he want revenge on Camelot and her people?"

"Did you not listen to anything my father told me? Kilgharrah watched all of his kin, be slaughtered at Uthur's hand! He was then imprisoned in a cave underground as some sort of trophy Uthur could brag about! He had every right to be seek revenge!"

"That is no reason to kill innocent people!"

"By that logic, Uthur had no reason to kill thousands of innocent people, yet he did! Least Kilgharrah is sorry for what he did!... Both acted in anger, fuelled by the need of revenge…. Kilgharrah has helped me save Camelot time and time again, he is loyal to me, I refused to kill him when he was blinded by anger and has seen what he has done was wrong!"

Arthur glared at Merlin. "My father was nothing like that dragon!"

"No he was worse," Merlin answered. "He hunted my kind and slaughtered my kin, all because of the mistake made by one witch…. You have to understand Arthur, Kilgharrah acted in anger and he is sorry for what he has done."

"Do not speak about my father in such a way!" Arthur yells.

"Then do not insult my kin!" Merlin answers. "Everything I have done, I have done in hopes of protecting Camelot…. I'll admit I have made mistakes and have paid the price. I have only ever wanted to protect Camelot…. You have to understand I would never harm Camelot of my own free will, I will always protect it."

Arthur glared at Merlin before sighing, Merlin voice held nothing but truth. "You swear this dragon will never attack Camelot again."

"I swear he will not attack Camelot, while I am alive." Merlin promises.

Arthur nodes. "Good."

Merlin sighed, he hadn't even asked about Morgana yet!

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Merlin crept up behind the envoy, moving quickly and as silently as possible. Arthur had finally seemed to come to terms with the choices Merlin had made, but it had taken both he and Gaius to convince him, Morgana would have turned evil no matter what they had done. As he pulled himself into the saddle of his horse, Alator turned to him.

"Nice of you to return, Merlin."

Merlin smiled. "You noticed."

Alator nodes. "I hope your trip was fruitful."

"It was," Merlin answered. "If convincing Arthur I always made decisions for the good of Camelot, was a good thing."

Alator nodes. "You are doing well, Merlin. It will not be long until the once and future king unites the land and frees magic once more."

Merlin sighed. "It will take time…. The council in Camelot still have strong feelings of hate for our kind…. But I hoping Arthur will be able to change their way of thinking, now that his views on magic are changing."

Alator sighed. "You have a hard destiny Merlin, as they say Rome wasn't built in a day. You have a life time to change the world around us and you have already started that change."

Merlin smiled. "I guess you are right, I just hope the changes happen sooner rather than latter…. I miss Camelot a lot, it had been my home for the last three/four years."

Alator smiled. "I have no doubt one day it will be your home again, but for the time being we have more pressing matters to deal with…. While you were gone some of scouts watching the far mountains reported activity, we are holding an emergency meeting tomorrow at dawn when we get some more detailed reports."

Merlin glanced at Alator, clearly worried. "You think the war is starting?"

Alator shakes his head. "It has already begun."

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**Hey next up is Gwaine and the crystal caves. I have used the proverb 'Rome wasn't built in a day', I have always thought king Arthur united the lands after the Romans left, but I may be wrong. Until next time, **

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	32. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-one: Gwaine and the crystal cave.

Arthur sighed, he was feeling slightly better now he and Merlin had talked. The others also seemed to have cheered up to, Gwen was still admiring her gifts. Arthur was sure Merlin did it on purpose, he must have known everyone else forgot Gwen's birthday and wanted them to feel bad. But then and again Merlin was never one to make people feel bad, unless it was Arthur in need of his ego deflating.

Arthur smiled as he looked round. Gwen and Isolde were talking and admiring the dress Merlin had got Gwen, which proved Merlin was a girl, he got Gwen a dress!

Tristan and Leon were playing a game of dice whilst finishing off their lunch, where the dice had come from was anyone's guess. By the looks of it Tristan was winning. Which was a surprise, Leon always won dice when they played at the tavern.

Gaius and Taliesin seemed to be have a conversation on some unknown subject. But from the look on Gaius's face whatever they were talking about wasn't good news. And more than likely had something to do with Merlin and the war his kingdom was about to fight.

Elyan and Percival were trying incredible hard not to laugh at Gwaine who had green hair, this caused Arthur to do a double take…. Gwaine had bright green hair! Arthur shook his head he wasn't even going to ask. It was probably Merlin who did it, he was the only one with magic, who would pull a prank like that. Gaius and Taliesin were far to mature.

Taliesin suddenly speaks up. "We need to watch the next adventures, there is not much time now…. Merlin will soon need your help."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The scene shows Arthur and Merlin on their way to a tavern after a day hunting.**

Gwaine nodes in agreement. "I always have a tankard of mead after a day hunting."

"More like nine or ten." Elyan mutters, having seen what Gwaine classed as 'light drinking'.

Percival shakes his head. "The tavern really isn't the best place to know what the mood is like, most go there after a long day working to relax or drown their sorrows."

Leon nodes his agreement. "You are better off listening to people talking at the market or just walking through the lower town."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Going to the tavern has always worked for me."

Gwaine grins as Merlin insults Arthur. "Merlin is correct, you are simple."

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "I am not!"

"A pit cocky, Arthur," Elyan laughs, as Arthur thinks the barmaid called him handsome. "You can't always think people are talking to you."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Least I didn't look as smug as Merlin."

"He had every right to be smug!" Gwaine laughs. "Mary hardly ever complements anyone."

Tristan smiled as they saw Gwaine sitting on the tavern near them. "I had been wondering how you meet Gwaine."

Percival shakes his head. "This can't end well." He mutters, as a group of thugs enter the tavern.

**Arthur steps into help Mary as she is threatened by the leader of the group.**

Arthur sighed. "Merlin had to open his mouth."

Gwaine grinned. "You have to admit, it wouldn't have been half as fun if he hadn't."

Leon rolls his eyes. "Trust it to be Gwaine who started the fight."

"How did no one see Merlin throw that bench?" Elyan exclaimed.

"To be fair, everyone was a bit preoccupied fighting." Percival answers.

Gwen glanced at Gwaine. "How did you miss him throwing the plates? You were right there?"

"To be honest I wasn't really paying attention to anything but the fight at the time." Gwaine replies.

"Only you and Merlin could introduces yourselves in the middle of a fight." Leon mutters.

Elyan nodes. "And there the only two brave enough to save or insult Arthur without knowing who he is."

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**Back in Camelot Gaius and Merlin treat Gwaine's injury.**

Gaius smiled with pride. "He'll make a good physician, one day."

Percival glances at Arthur. "You seemed surprised Merlin knew about healing, he did live with Gaius for years."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Merlin acts like an idiot most of the time, of course I was surprised!"

**The following morning, Gwaine wakes up in Merlin's room, just as Merlin brings him breakfast.**

"You really hated nobles didn't you?" Elyan mutters.

Gwaine's nodes. "Many are who are corrupted by the power there status brings them. And I have witnessed what that corruption makes men think they can do and get away with."

Percival nodes. "Many nobles think they can do what they like to those of lower status, because not many would take the word of a peasant over the word of a lord."

Arthur sighed. "I'm king now and I swear everyone will get a fair trial, no matter what their status."

Gwen smiles. "Then you will be a great king."

**The scene changes to Arthur and Merlin talking about the Mêlée.**

Elyan glances at Arthur. "I don't think it's wise to throw things at a warlock of considerable power."

"It wasn't that bad." Arthur defends himself. "I do it whenever he annoys me."

Gwaine grins. "Only if you do it now, he can stop it mid-air and throw it back at you, twice as hard and without a single word."

**Elsewhere in Camelot, the two thugs, Dagr and Ebor, from the bar fight and buying some swords.**

"I have heard of those blades before," Percival mutters. "They appear blunt, but are sharper than most other sword."

Leon nodes. "I have heard legends about them, I didn't think anyone knew how to make them anymore."

"Those crystals….?" Isolde asks.

"Were glamour's," Gaius answers. "They changed the eye who beholds them. It did not actually change their appearance."

Gwen winces slightly as the old man selling the swords was killed. "How evil." She muttered.

Elyan shakes his head. "They have no honour."

**Back in Camelot Gwaine is getting changed. Not long after he walking through the lower town when he starts to flirt with Gwen.**

Both Arthur and Elyan glare at Gwaine.

Gwaine holds up his hands. "I wouldn't touch her princess, she is yours after all."

"You better not." Arthur threatened.

Everyone laughs at Gwaine's failed attempt to flirt with Gwen.

Gwen smiled. "That really didn't work."

Gwaine sighs. "Not ever pretty girl is easy to please…. You have high standards."

Elyan glared at Gwaine. "How many times have you been in trouble because of the girls you 'court'?"

Gwaine smiles. "I have been chased out of town a couple of times."

Everyone rolls their eyes knowing it was more like a couple of hundred times.

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**In the woods about a day's ride from Camelot, Dagr and Ebor attack and kill Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan and use the crystals to take their appearances.**

Gaius shakes his head. "Glamour's are tricky things, ones that use crystal are hard to spot, unless you know what you are looking for…. Magic can be used for such trickery sometimes."

"Their voices changed," Elyan muttered. "I only thought it was for appearances?"

Gaius shakes his head. "Glamour's of high power such as the ones they used change everything, the way you sound, the way you look and even sometimes how you act."

Leon sighs as the two thugs ride into Camelot. "This isn't going to end well."

Gwaine snorts. "Good job princess, give Merlin to the people who wouldn't think twice about killing him or causing him a lot of pain."

Arthur sighed. "I didn't know they were going to try and cause us harm."

"He was your servant, Arthur!" Gwaine answers. "The castle has servants who are hired to care for guests, you can't just make Merlin do all the work."

Gwen sighed. "Merlin should have asked for help, it couldn't have been good carrying that massive trunk up all those steps on his own."

Gaius sighed as he watched them make Merlin move the trunk around them room. "I surprised he didn't hurt his back."

**Later on Merlin is eating his dinner with Gaius.**

Arthur nodes in agreement to what Gaius said. "Sir Oswald was kind and he always treated servants with respect."

Everyone laughed as Merlin spat his food at Gaius, Gaius just shook his head.

"Hey!" Arthur complains. "I am a kind master."

**After going to the tavern with Gwen, Merlin is forces to make Arthur pay for Gwaine drinks and food. After dragging Gwaine back to his room, they talk.**

Everyone looks at Gwaine in shook.

"Your father was a knight?" Arthur finally asks.

Gwaine nodes. "He was."

"So that's your secret," Leon mutters. "The secret only Merlin knows."

Gwaine nodes. "I have only ever told Merlin…. Even when I have been so drunk I couldn't think straight, I have never told anyone. Merlin is my first and best friend he knows everything about me."

**The following day Merlin and Gwaine are forced to clean the boots for the whole army.**

Gwen looks at Arthur. "That was unfair."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

Gwaine snorts. "I'd like to see you clean the boots of the whole army, princess, I don't think you'd even be able to clean one boot."

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "I am the king I do not have to clean boots and never will."

Gwaine smiles. "Then you would have no idea how much work and effort it takes, how Merlin ever survived being your servant, I don't know!"

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**Later that day, Arthur fights Sir Oswald aka Dagr and wins. Later still while cleaning the knights' rooms, Merlin finds the swords and cuts his figure. Seconds later sir Oswald and Sir Ethan appear.**

Gwen shiver slightly. "He could have got an injury far worse than that, think what damage those blades could do in the tournament."

Gwaine nodes. "To you those blades may be a legends here in Camelot, but in other kingdoms they are used. I have seen the damage they can do…. The sorcery they are forged with makes them sharper than you could ever make a normal sword."

"Do you think sir Oswald noticed Merlin cut his hand?" Leon asks. "Or was he just paranoid?"

**Back in Gaius's chambers Merlin plans on how to steal the blades as proof that sir Oswald and Sir Ethan mean to kill Arthur. And so that night, Merlin sneaks in to try and steal the blades.**

Leon shakes his head. "One day Merlin is going to get caught sneaking into peoples rooms…. He really does take risks."

Elyan sighed. "Wouldn't you do the same if you knew it was the only way to protect Camelot?"

"I would try," Leon answers. "But I would more than likely get caught, I'm not that good at hiding."

Percival watches as Merlin spots the crystal. "The crystal powered the spell, does that mean if you take the crystals off the spell no longer holds?"

Gaius nodes. "There are some which hold even hold after the crystal is removed, but they are far more powerful and rely on the power of the sorcerer as well as the crystal."

**Elsewhere in the castle, Gwaine knows Merlin should be back by now and goes to find him. He walks in on Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan throwing knifes at Merlin.**

Gwaine glares at the screen. "I'm glad they are dead…. I cannot say that about many who are dead, but I am glad they are."

Arthur nodes. "They were evil men."

"They used sorcerer for all the wrong reasons," Taliesin speaks up. "Magic is a gift not all are given, those who abuse that power will be judged, in the next realm."

"The summer lands?" Percival asks.

"That is what Wiccan's call the next realm, yes." Taliesin answers. "But you would know it better as the realm of the dead or the spirit world."

Gwaine glances at Leon. "I never thanked you for arresting me."

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**Later Merlin informs Gaius of who the knights really are, as they walk to the ordinance Gwaine is having with the king.**

Elyan, Leon, Percival and Tristan all node in agreement as Gwaine declares nobility is decided not by how you are born, but by what you do.

Gwen smiles. "I am glad you spoke up for Gwaine, Arthur."

"I sometimes wished I hadn't the trouble he caused me." Arthur signs, with a slight smile.

Gwaine glares at Arthur. "I don't cause trouble."

"No you attract it." Percival laughs.

"Almost as bad as Arthur and the magical trouble he attracts." Elyan agrees.

**The scene changed to show Gwaine leaving, both Merlin and Gwen said good bye.**

Gwaine smiled. "I still find it hard to believe Merlin can put up with me, he's forever helping me home from the tavern and keeping me out of fights."

Elyan rolled his eyes. "He's the only one who can put up with you."

Gwen blushed as she watched Gwaine work out she has feelings for Arthur. Arthur smiled at her, which made her blush even more.

**Later that night Merlin and Gaius try and come up with a plan to save Arthur. Merlin knows he's going to have to use magic. The following day Merlin prepares Arthur's amour for the Mêlée and Uthur gives Arthur a sword.**

"Merlin was going to use magic!" Isolde exclaimed. "Half the city was going to be there and the king!"

Gaius sighs. "I did tell him, but he had to keep Arthur safe…. The same as if it had been any of you, Merlin will risk his life time and time again to keep his friends safe."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "How can you live with him risking his life all the time? The fear of him being caught all the time must be hard to live with."

Gaius smiled. "After four years you learn to live with it. But he fear never goes, it's always there at the back of your mind."

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**As Merlin prepares Arthur for the Mêlée, he asks Arthur to withdraw, but Arthur refuses.**

"You should really start listening to Merlin," Isolde mutters. "Every time he warns you about something or not to do something, it always turns out there was something or someone trying to kill you."

Arthur sighed. "I know, but I could not withdraw. The people expect me to fight and win, so they know they have someone strong leading them. I needed to prove I was fit to lead them."

**And so the Mêlée begins. As the knights are knocked out one by one, Merlin is forced to use magic to save Arthur. His magic causing the saddle on the horse to snap as one of the thugs from the bar fight approaches from behind.**

Gwaine grins. "Nice spell, I can see how that would come on useful in battle."

"He didn't use a spell." Percival points out.

"Which makes it all the more awesome." Gwaine grins.

"Who's the other knight helping Arthur?" Isolde asks.

Arthur, Leon, Gwen and Gwaine all smile, knowing who it was.

"Well Merlin clearly knows whom it is," Tristan smiles, he glanced at Gwaine. "It's you, isn't it?"

Gwaine smiles. "I couldn't say, wouldn't want to spoil it."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "They all know it's you Gwaine."

**Gwaine uses the enchanted swords to kill Dagr and Ebor saving Arthur.**

Gwaine smiled. "You are lucky both me and Merlin risked our necks to save you."

Arthur nodes. "I am glad to have friends such as you."

"So who won?" Isolde asks. "You didn't fight."

"I gave the field to Gwaine, so he won." Arthur answers. "But it was never announced because Gwaine had been banished."

**Later on Gaius shows Uthur who the knights really were. Arthur then convinces Uthur to let Gwaine go and not be killed. As Arthur, Gwaine and Merlin speak, Arthur tells Gwaine his father was wrong and if it were up to him Gwaine would stay. Merlin tries to convince Gwaine to stay, but Gwaine goes. Arthur and Merlin watch him leave from the walls of the castle.**

Everyone laughs as Arthur got jealous of Gwen and Gwaine saying good bye.

"Don't worry princess," Gwaine mutters. "I knew she was yours."

Elyan laughed as Merlin mocked Arthur on what the rules allowed. "Merlin was right, while Uthur was king, Gwen and you could never have been together."

Arthur sighed. "Many of my fathers' rules are wrong and I hope one day I'll be able to change them for the better, but the council as still convinced Uthur was right."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The scene starts with Merlin and Arthur being chased though the woods by a large group of bandits.**

Elyan shakes his head. "We seriously need to do something about those bandits, I've yet to go on a patrol and not come across any or the deeds they have done."

Leon nodes. "We need to do something, but what? The woods are large and they are bound to know hiding places we don't."

"Ask Merlin," Gwaine jokes. "He knows all the best hiding places."

Percival rolls his eyes. "I'm sure Merlin, if he wanted to, could just enchant the forest to attack them. That would no doubt have them fleeing the forest."

Gwaine laughed as Arthur told Merlin to trust him only for them to get spotted by the bandits. "Poor Merlin, having to trust you."

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "There is nothing wrong with trusting me, I know my way through the woods."

"Yeah, but so do the bandits." Elyan points out. "They probably know the woods far better than us."

**Merlin suddenly seems to hit an invisible wall, as they enter the valley of the fallen kings.**

"That was the magic of this valley," Taliesin explains. "The valley is after all home to the birth place of magic."

Percival nodes. "Is that why so many people fear this place?"

Taliesin smiles. "Many believe this land is cursed, it is called the valley of the fallen kings for a reason. Some believe the fallen kings of old cursed this land, but it is not. People can feel the magic here and that scares them, hence why they believe it is cursed."

**Arthur is shot with an arrow and falls unconscious and Merlin is forced to hide both of them, until the bandits pass.**

Gwen gasps as Arthur is shot with an arrow, everyone else looks slightly worried, but they all knew Merlin must have found a way to save him.

"See Merlin really does know all the best hiding places." Gwaine smiles trying to lighten the mood.

**After finding a place to hide from the bandits, Merlin creates a healing poultice and tries to heal Arthur wound with magic.**

Gaius nodes his approval. "That healing poultice was excellently made and only using herbs found in the area. His knowledge is good, but he still has a lot to learn."

Arthur glared at the screen, as Merlin insulted him. "I am not a pompous arrogant part."

"I'll think you'll find he said 'pompous arrogant prince'!" Gwaine laughs.

"Why did the spells Merlin used, not work?" Percival asked.

"He used spells to heal a different type of arrow wound. There are different spells for different kinds of arrows." Gaius explained.

Surprisingly no one commented on Merlin almost crying as he failed to heal Arthur. Even Arthur knew better than to say anything, he had seen the losses Merlin had suffered because he didn't know how to save them.

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**Out of nowhere Taliesin appears, startling Merlin. He healed Arthur and told Merlin he had something to show him.**

Gwaine grins as Taliesin appears. "So that's how you meet Merlin."

Everyone rolls their eyes, Gwaine really had a habit of stating the obvious.

Arthur turned to Taliesin. "Thank you for healing me."

Taliesin smiled. "I am simply glad I remembered the spell correctly."

Everyone watched in silence as Merlin entered the crystal cave and was showed the first to images, one of Morgana with a crown on her head and the second of Dragoon.

"He saw Morgana as queen, so he knew she was going to claim the throne?" Leon asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "The future is not set in stone, it can be changed."

**After Taliesin convinces Merlin to look into the crystals, Merlin walks further into the cave and the visions start. An image of Morgana struggling with a horse, followed by her drawing a knife from its scabbard, followed by her walking down a corridor. What could be blood or wine, dripping from a hand into a pool of red liquid below? Merlin yelling, flames surrounding him. Merlin crashes backward into the wall of the cave, only for a second crystal to show him more images. Only this time it shows Morgana about to kill the king. Merlin forces himself to look away and falls to the ground. Only for a third crystal to continue the images. Morgana kills the king.**

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Finally Elyan asks a question. "Merlin looked like he was in pain, why was that?"

Taliesin sighed. "The power of crystals are strong…. Many sorcerer are driven mad by the power. Imagine a powerful spell being thrown at you, you would try and fight against it…. Merlin didn't want to see the future but the crystals forced him to watch."

"Least he knew Morgana was going to kill the king." Gwaine mutters. "If he hadn't known he might not have been able to stop her."

**Later outside the caves Arthur wakes up.**

"You still look like a toad, princess." Gwaine laughs.

"Least I don't have green hair." Arthur answers.

Gwaine grabs a lock of hair and pulls at it, so he can see it. "Oh ha-ha Merlin." He laughs sarcastically.

Percival grins. "Why did he do it?"

"A couple of weeks back, I may have tipped some paint over Merlin…. It took him hours to wash it out his hair, so this is revenge."

"Why?" Percival asks.

"It was a prank!"

"Tipping paint over someone's head, was a prank?"

"Yes!" Gwaine exclaimed. "And a good one at that, the look on his face was priceless."

Elyan glanced at Arthur. "Magic is still outlawed, so still no chance of you turning into a 'handsome prince' or should it be king now."

Arthur glared at them. "I do not look like a toad."

"Didn't Dragoon say you looked like a toad or something about you being a toad?" Gwen asks with a smiles. "I'm sure he did, so Merlin isn't the only one to think that." She knew Merlin was Dragoon but Arthur didn't.

Percival smiled. "It could be worse, Merlin could have turned you in to a toad."

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**On the way back to Camelot, Merlin is almost completely silent, much to the worry of Arthur. He's doesn't even react when Arthur tells the king Merlin helped save him. Gaius instantly knows something is wrong. Later that night Merlin tells Gaius about what he saw.**

Tristan smiled. "You were worried about Merlin."

"No…. He was just unnervingly silent." Arthur answers.

Isolde sighed. "You know it's not a weakness to admit when you are worried about a friend."

Gaius sighs. "Having visions of the future can sometimes do more damage than good, when events have yet to come to pass, trying to stop them can sometimes cause them to happen."

Taliesin nodes in agreement. "The crystals can show you one of many possible futures, most of them will never happen."

Elyan frowns. "So you could be shown a vision by the crystals and it may never happen?"

Taliesin nodes. "It may not, but what Merlin saw came to pass."

**The following day Arthur tells Merlin he is getting Morgana a dagger for her birthday, causing Merlin to worry. On his way out of the castle he sees Morgana struggling with a horse. He rushed to Gaius and informs him of what he has seen, but Gaius still doesn't believe it's going to happen.**

"Why didn't you believe him?" Leon asks.

"Because I refused to believe Morgana would kill the king herself." Gaius answers. "All the time she has tried to kill Uthur, she has played it safe. Made sure it could never be traced to her. But to go and kill Uthur like that would have got her killed, there was no way anyone else could have been blamed."

**Later on Arthur shows Merlin the dagger he has got Morgana, it isn't the dagger from the vision, to Merlin's relief.**

Gwaine laughs. "Imagine if you got Morgana the dagger she used to try and kill the king."

Percival smiled. "That would have been truly helping the enemy!"

Leon shook his head. "I'm glad it wasn't the dagger, I think Merlin would have freaked out if it was."

**Later on that night at Morgana's birthday feast, Arthur gives Morgana her gift. It is the dagger from Merlin's vision.**

"Oh god," Gwaine laughs. "You got Morgana the dagger she was going to try and kill the king with."

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "This isn't funny, she was going to try and kill our father."

Elyan smiled slightly. "I'm glad Merlin knew about it, imagine if he hadn't, the king would have died."

Leon nodes. "I still can't believe Merlin would protect someone who would have had him killed for the way he was born."

**Later that night, Morgana leaves her room to go and see Morgana. Merlin uses magic, to stop her, but causes Morgana to fall down the stairs, injuring her head.**

Everyone winces slightly at Morgana fall, but no one could say they truly felt sorry for her. They had all seen the evils Morgana had done and the pain and suffering she had caused everyone.

**Later that night, Gaius comforts Merlin, who is still coming to terms with what he has done.**

"That proves of the goodness Merlin has in his heart," Taliesin explains. "Even though Morgana is one of his greatest enemies and would destroy all he works so hard to build, he still felt remorse for the way he stopped her from killing the king."

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**The following day, Uthur sits with Morgana. While Merlin walls through the castle, he finds Arthur comforting Gwen and it makes the guilt he feels worse. He speaks with Arthur, after he is done comforting Gwen. Whilst speaking with Arthur, Merlin suddenly understands how much Morgana means to everyone and knows he must do something.**

Arthur sighed. "There have been many times since Morgana and Morgause took Camelot, that I wished Morgana had never been found…. I just wish there was something we could have done to stop Morgana from taking the path she chose."

Gwen nodes. "I wish the same…. But it was her choice to make."

"Gwen is right, she made her choice," Gaius agrees. "It was of her own free will, she joined her sister. She wanted to be free at first, but she went around seeking it the wrong way. Then when she found out Uthur was her father, she wanted the throne and free those with magic. But she would have ruled much like Uthur did, only difference is all those with magic would be innocent, no matter what they had done."

**Back in Gaius's chambers, Uthur is still sitting with Morgana. He starts speaking with Gaius unaware of Merlin sitting in the room next door. Uthur tells Gaius to use magic to heal Morgana, surprising both Gaius and Merlin. He also tells Gaius that Morgan is his daughter. Both Gaius and Merlin now know why Uthur cared so much about her.**

Arthur glares at the screen. "He is a hypocrite and a liar!"

Gwen places a comforting hand on Arthur's arm. "He did what he had to…. He did what he thought was best for you."

"He hunted and killed thousands of people for the use of magic and kept killing them even after Morgana was better, yet he ordered magic to be used to save her!" Arthur answers.

"I do not agree with want Uthur did," Gwen answers. "But even you turned to magic to try and heal Uthur."

"Is there anything, you and Merlin don't know? Regarding the safety of the kingdom of course." Gwaine asks.

Gaius smiled. "There is very little we do not know."

"So you and Merlin knew Morgana was Uthur's daughter, I can see now why Merlin wasn't surprised when we found out." Arthur mutters.

Gwaine smiles. "I doubt anything would surprise Merlin, he seems prepared for anything."

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**Later on Merlin takes a remedy to Uthur, Gaius thought it would help ease Uthur's mind. Merlin waits as he listens to Uthur talk and does nothing as Uthur had a breakdown, before heading out. He then watched Arthur training in the rain, before returning to find Gwen and Gaius beside Morgana. He knows he has to save her.**

Arthur stared at the screen. "Did he really care about Morgana that much?"

"I believe he was talking about both of you, Arthur," Gaius answers. "He cared about both of you dearly, even if he wasn't that good at showing it."

Arthur nodes. "Why couldn't Morgana see how much everyone cared about her?"

"She was blinded by hate."

Gwen smiled sadly. "That must have been hard for Merlin, seeing us all so upset and knowing he was the one who caused it."

Gaius nodes. "It wasn't easy for him."

**That night Merlin summons the great dragon and orders him to give him a spell to heal Morgana, even though the dragon warns him no good will come of the witch living. He uses the spell to heal Morgana.**

"He should have let her die." Gwaine mutters.

Percival sighs. "I don't think Merlin would have been able to live with the guilt…. No one but he and Gaius knew Morgana had turned against us, everyone else would have been devastated, if she had died."

Tristan watches the screen. "The dragon looked furious."

Gaius nodes. "Kilgharrah hated Morgana, for she threatened the age of peace and the creation Albion."

Isolde shakes her head. "I can understand why he felt the need to save her, but he really should have let her die…. She killed so many people, she has done so many evil things…. She wouldn't have hesitated to kill any of you, even before that happened."

**The following day Gaius returns from collecting supplies to find Morgana awake and being comforted by Uthur. Gaius is clearly surprised and works out Merlin must have done something. After Uthur thanks Gaius, Gaius goes to find Merlin and Merlin explains why he had to heal Morgana.**

Leon looks at Gaius. "He thought you used magic, didn't he?"

"I fear he did," Gaius answers. "But as you know I did nothing."

Gwen smiled. "Merlin has such a kind heart…. He would save an enemy, just to save others from suffering the grief of their death."

Gaius smiled. "Kilgharrah once said, the will to see good in people will be his down fall and I fear he is right. The goodness in his heart and the will to help people will be his down fall."

**Back in Morgana's room, Gwen has just finished helping Morgana. She then leaves Uthur to talk with Morgana.**

"She heard didn't she?" Elyan asks. "She knew Uthur was her father."

Gaius nodes. "I fear she did."

Leon shakes his head. "That simply gave her all the more reason to hate Uthur."

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**Later that night Morgause enters the castle and meets with Morgana. Morgana tells Morgause she is Uthur's daughter and Morgause warns her not to do anything rash in her anger and need for revenge.**

"She's going to try and kill the king." Elyan mutters.

Arthur watches the screen. "She is more like Uthur than she would like to think."

Gaius nodes, his agreement. "She was like Uthur and would have ruled with the same coldness and fear Uthur did."

**Gaius ad Merlin tend to the servant who was attacked by Morgause and Merlin sees the next image he saw in the crystal and knows he has stopped nothing. **

Everyone watches with worry, knowing Morgana is most definitely going to try and kill the king. Gwen grips Arthur hand and watches as Merlin and Gaius exchanged looks on the screen.

**Morgana waits until Gwen has finished cleaning her room and dismisses her for the night. Merlin runs through the castle, when he reaches Morgana's room he thrown into the wall and knocked unconscious.**

"That looked painful." Gwaine muttered.

Elyan nodes. "And the room is on fire."

**Morgana slips past the guards and into Uthur's room, where she takes the dagger Arthur gave her and prepares to kill the king. Meanwhile Merlin wakes up and runs, knowing he has to reach the king before Morgana kills him.**

"Come on, Merlin." Gwen mutters.

Arthur watches as Merlin races through the halls. "Run faster!" He hisses, forgetting in the heat of the moment that Uthur didn't die that night.

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**Merlin bursts into the room just as Morgana is about to kill the king. He uses magic to explode all the windows, stopping Morgana and waking the king. Morgana quickly lies as to why she is in the kings' room and Merlin hides behind a pillar.**

Everyone breaths a sigh of relief.

"Thank god he got there in time." Gwen mutters.

Leon nodes. "I had to keep reminding myself Uthur didn't die that night."

"He did cut in quite close," Elyan mutters. "If he had got there a second later, she would have killed Uthur."

Tristan shakes his head. "Why Morgana didn't just kill Merlin, I don't know…. She knew he kept ruining all her plans."

Isolde nodes. "I don't think it ever occurred to her to just kill him…. She isn't the type to do it herself unless she knows it can never be traced back to her."

**Later that night Gaius warns Merlin if Uthur dies, Arthur is all who stands between the Morgana and the throne of Camelot.**

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**Hey, hoped you liked that, sorry it took longer to get this one up,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	33. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-two: What Merlin doesn't know.

Iseldir walked through the trees, it had been a while since he had ventured this close to Camelot. As he drew closer to the lake of Avalon, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Many feared the Sidhe, Merlin Emrys and the Sidhe had been on friendly terms for a while, so he doubted they would harm him.

The gods had not been happy about the Sidhe trying to kill Merlin and would have been punished had they not been sorry. The Sidhe were powerful and knew an ancient and powerful magic, but even they could not survive the wrath of the gods. So to escape the wrath of the gods, they gave alliance to Merlin Emrys, not that Merlin ever knew that and promised to aid him, in time of need.

The triple goddess had blessed Merlin's birth as she named him Emrys. She was the one who chose who was born to save and she had chosen well. One day Merlin Emrys and the lady of the lake would take their places among the gods, for their names had been written since the dawn of time.

Iseldir broke through the tree line and approach the shore of the lake, he could feel the power of Avalon present here, even though it was hidden from view. Iseldir knew no mortal could look upon Avalon and live, so he pulled a strip of fabric from his belt.

As he tied it around his eyes, he reached out with his magic. Once he was sure the Sidhe would be able to hear him, he spoke.

"I, Iseldir of the druids, plead for an ordinance with the Sidhe elders." Iseldir calls.

Around him the lake glows, as Avalon appears before him. Out of nowhere the Sidhe elders appear.

"An ordinance we will grant you, Iseldir of the druids," The head Sidhe elder answers. "What is it you seek to ask?"

Iseldir bowed slightly. "I come on behalf of Emrys, he has agreed to form an alliance with Avalon, but gets nothing in return. You and Avalon will be granted a mortal entrance, so the living as well as the dead may travel to your lands."

"If that is all you wish to tell us then you have wasted your time."

"I wish to ask for something in return," Iseldir continues. "I ask something which will form a greater alliance between the two realms…. I ask that Emrys will marry the lady of the lake and she be returned her mortal body. A marriage will form a strong alliance between the two worlds and will last longer than the time of man…. For as you know, both are now immortal."

The head Sidhe elder thinks for a moment. "An alliance as strong as that would ensure Avalon safety for all of time, but why should we grant her a mortal body?"

"Because you know as well as I, the lady of the lake is Emrys's one true love. He would never be truly happy without her by his side. He needs the love and council she can other him…. He needs a queen."

"Then a marriage between Merlin Emrys and the lady of the lake will seal the alliance between our realms." The head Sidhe elder answers. "He must be here at dawn and he must be alone."

Iseldir bows and feels the realm of Avalon hide itself once more. He pulls off his blindfold and smiles a small smile. Merlin Emrys was to be once more united with his love. And by doing so forming an alliance with a powerful realm, this would bode well for Albion and the golden age to come.

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The White Mountains were not far from Camelot, and Camelot was where the dragon lord had called from many times before. His first call, was full of pain not long after the healing magic of the great dragon could be felt by all the dragons' kin. The poison of the Serkets must have run deep through the dragon lord, if such strong magic was needed.

Sat on a ledge high in the highest mountain was an ebony dragon, it blue eyes the colour of deep sapphires. Her scales strong and her wings tough from flight. Her teeth were sharp and her talons like razors. Ever since she had heard the call of the dragon lord she had been searching for him.

When she had first heard the call, she had been many miles over the sea, in lands yet to be discovered or tainted by human life. Lands where natural ruled and the old religion was strong and healthy. The old religion was the magic of the earth and where earth was strong so was magic.

The dragon lords' call had been filled with pain, she had felt the spell her kin had used to heal him. For many years she had feared she was alone, she had been the last egg to be hatched before the great purge started. When Balinor had called the last dragons to Camelot, she had yet to learn how to fly and had not made it.

Most dragons could fly from the moment they hatched, but one of her wings had been damaged and that damage took years to heal. Once she could fly she had fled, all her kin had been killed and Balinor was nowhere to be found. And all magic and magical creature were being hunted by Uthur, she felt the pain as the earth cried from the loss, the balance had been changed and the damage was spreading through the land, like a virus.

The dragon lord she had heard calling was Balinors' son, their dragon call was the same. Each family of dragon lords had a different call, passed from father to son, just like the power. She was glad Balinor had a son, she had feared he was dead and the dragon lords were no more. She had often feared she was the last dragon. For some reason she had not been able to sense her kin, Kilgharrah, until the son of Balinor had called.

And so from the moment she heard the call, she knew she was no longer alone. She crossed lands and oceans to back to Albion. But the son of Balinor did not call often and she had spent her time searching the lands. She heard every call, but could never trace it, the calls were not meant for her, the son of Balinor called only Kilgharrah.

Then it happened, one night, while she was asleep in her cave. A dragon was called from its egg by the son of Balinor. 'Aithusa' his name echoed through the earth and magic itself seemed to hum his name. A new dragon had been hatched, she felt the happiness both the son of Balinor and Kilgharrah shared. And she too was happy.

But at long last she traced the son of Balinor calls to Camelot, only for him to be gone. Taken from Camelot after a battle, the witch who sat on the throne was surround by dark magic and she feared the the son of Balinor had been killed. But then not a day after she heard him call once more, the son of Balinor had not been killed by the witch of dark magic.

She had tried to find her kin, but could not trace his magic. So she decided to wait, close to Camelot, for that was where the son of Balinor most often called from. She curled up on her ledge and waited. The son of Balinor would call again she was sure and when he did, she would be ready to help. She would no longer be alone and would be able to learn from her older kin.

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Mordred the dark growled, as he sat on his throne made of human bones.

Jared entered the hall and bowed. "My lord."

Mordred may have hated humans, but he knew when they were useful. Ever since he was imprisoned in the far mountains, a band of sorcerers had been created, which followed him and practiced his forms of magic. The called themselves 'the brotherhood of dark' and were loyal only to Mordred.

Jared was their leader.

"What news to you bring me?" Mordred snapped.

"I have news from Peryglus, my lord." Jared answers. "It seems their leader is immortal. He is the one who lead the group which killed the change-wings, my lord."

Mordred looks up. "Immortal you say?"

"Yes, my lord. He is Emrys, he has a power, which would prove a challenge to any god…. He is also a dragon lord, any weapons to kill the immortal cannot kill him."

"Blades that are forged in a dragons breath are not the only weapons that can kill the immortal," Mordred answers. "The living dead can also be killed by another weapon. Have you ever heard of a 'Hallows sword'?"

Jared shakes his head. "I have not, my lord."

"A Hallows sword is a weapon that can kill the living dead. All those who are immortal are the living dead. Only one Hallows sword is left, all the other were destroyed by the high priests and high priestesses of the triple goddess."

"Where can we find this sword, my lord?" Jared asks.

"I have the last Hallows sword, it was trapped with me in the mountains." Mordred answers, drawing a sword from his belt, the blade was as black as onyx and seemed to radiate dark magic. "These blades were formed by the guardians of the spirit world before the Cailleach became the gate keeper. These weapons can kill the living dead."

"So you can kill this 'Merlin Emrys'?" Jared asks.

Mordred grins wickedly. "He won't stand a chance…. The army will take care of everyone else."

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Jared walked the narrow path towards the tower. No one suspected him as a traitor, he had access to all the information Mordred needed. He was yet to meet this 'Merlin Emrys', which was a good thing, he had been told Merlin was good a spotting traitors. He smiled slightly as he passed through the town, all these people were going to die and Mordred would become rightful leader of the land.

But unknown to Jared, he was being followed by a hooded figure…. Someone who suspected him. They followed him, all the way to the tower and seeming to jumps from shadow to shadow as they did so. A couple of times Jared stopped to look round, but never once spotted his stalker.

As Jared approached the tower, he could not help but feel nervous. Mordred had ordered him to set up a trap for Merlin, he had even given him the curse to do it with. A curse designed to retrain a sorcerers magic, making them unable to cast spells.

"I am looking for Merlin Emrys," Jared explained, to one of the druids walking out the tower entrance. "I have news I must give to him straight away, do you know where I may find his chambers?"

The druid nodes. "Top floor."

Jared nodes his thanks and quickly enters the castle, still unaware of the hooded figure following him. He walked up the many flights of straits towards the top floor, he cursed who ever decided to give Merlin a room on the top floor. He had to stop for a break half way up, the tower may have looked like your average height tower, but these stairs seemed to go on forever.

He finally reached the top floor. He could sense magic flowing freely for one room and quickly made his way towards it. He pushed the door open and found himself in what could have been a physicians' work place, if it wasn't for all the magical and enchanted items lying around. He stepped into the room but froze when a growl came from above him.

Looking up, he was greeted by the sight of a small white dragon. Jared almost laughed, he had been expecting something much worse. The white dragon growled for a second time, a small puff of smoke erupting from its nostrils. Jared just ignored it, the dragon was only a baby it was no bigger than a cat.

In the doorway the hooded figure just watched as Aithusa growled at Jared, the dragon may have been a baby, but it could still do a lot of damage. Aithusa was a couple of months old, so would soon be able to breath fire and if the smoke was anything to go by, it would be soon.

As Jared placed the first curse on the room, Aithusa let out a large growl and leapt at him. Landing on table just behind him, Aithusa roared, white hot flames burst from his mouth and Jared let out a painful scream. He dropped the curses he was holding, they hit the floor and they were destroyed. Mordred would not be pleased.

Jared backed up quickly, knocking over a work bench. As bottles and jars hit the floor, they exploded in bright colours, smoke and sparks. Jared finally made into the far wall and edged along until he reached the door he had entered the room through, only to find his path blocked by a hooded figure.

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Alator sat, meditating, in the Cathay's main hall. An altar filled with candles lay before him and the room with thick with the smoke of incense sticks. There was a cough behind him, he didn't even bother to turn around.

"What is it, you wish to speak about?" Alator asks.

"I fear we may have a traitor among us, my lord." A voice answers.

"A traitor?"

"Yes, my lord. I fear a sorcerer working for Mordred is present in the court."

Alator nodes. "Then what is it, you wish to do about it?"

"I wish to dispose of this traitor before they can do any real damage…. They left the city today at dawn, I fear they have gone to speak with Mordred."

"Then when they return, follow them," Alator replies. "Once you have proof, call them before the council and they will be charged with treason."

"Yes, my lord."

Alator sighed as the person left the room, he had feared they would be betrayed. For a long time now the magical community had known of those who practiced and followed Mordred the dark and his way of using magic, if any were ever caught they were killed. The type of magic they practiced was inhumane, stealing a sorcerer's power to use it as your own.

It took a lot of dark magic to control a person's magic against their will. Alator feared the magic they stole was corrupted by their own power and then became there's. It was a wicked art and all those who practiced it were sentenced to death by the high priests and high priestesses.

Sighing Alator stood from his seat and picked up his staff, he needed to warn Merlin. If there was a traitor they would no doubt be after him. Alator knew Merlin was good at spotting traitors, but he never spent enough time in court to suspect anyone. He was always too busy doing jobs or going on missions, to spend time getting to know people to the court.

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Jared glared at the hooded figure, who refused to move out his way.

"Let me through!" He demanded.

"No," The person answers. "You have been seen trying to harm Merlin Emrys, you must answer to the court."

Jared laughs. "I don't think so."

He throws up his hand, with a shouted word, the hooded figure is thrown into the wall. They slide to the ground, out cold.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" A voice demands.

Jared turns and comes face to face with a raven hatred young man with blue eyes. He was dressed in plain druid clothing and had a midnight blue around his shoulders.

"None of your business, druid." Jared snaps.

The young man glared at him, before glancing at the hooded figure on the floor. "She was right, you have just attacked a member of the Catha, you must answer to the court."

"I will answer to no one, druid." He throws up his hand and yells a spell.

The raven haired young man, simply holds up his hand and his eyes glow gold. Jared's attack was defected with ease.

Jared laughs. "So you have some magic, druid, but you are no match for me."

He throws a second spell, the raven haired young man simply steps out the way.

The raven haired young man smiles and throws up his hand, his eyes glow and Jared is thrown backwards down the corridor. Where he lies stunned for a moment, before getting to his feet. Jared glanced round for a moment, looking for a way to escape, before yelling a spell and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

The raven haired young man curses and rush over to the hooded figure. "Finna, Finna can you hear me?"

The hooded figure, Finna, doesn't respond. The raven haired young man curses again and turns to look down the hallway. "Hello?" He yells. "Somebody help me!"

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**Hey hoped you liked that, next up is the changeling and the castle of Fyrien.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	34. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-three: The changeling.

Percival sat thinking, around him the others were enjoying their food, waiting to watch the final two adventures they would see today. But Percival couldn't help but fell slightly ashamed, he like many of the other knights had hunted down sorcerers and other magical people and killed them. He had witnessed the executions of many who had used magic and he hadn't tried to save them or speak in their defence.

"Percy, what you thinking about?" Gwaine suddenly asks, sitting down beside him.

"People who have magic." Percival answers.

"What about people who have magic?"

"We as knights of Camelot, have hunted down and killed many…. I can't help but feel bad."

Elyan sighed. "We were following the kings orders, to have refused would have been treason…."

Leon nodes. "The punishment for treason is death, I know I have seen many burn who did not deserve to. But to refuse Uthur's orders would have meant joining them in the flames."

"I still feel bad, Merlin has been with us many times, when we have been sent out to capture or kill those accused of magic." Percival answers.

Everyone falls silent, thinking about how much Merlin must have hated them at times. They had all been responsible for the deaths of sorcerers and druids. Arthur had even lead an attack on a druid camp, he had killed Merlin's people.

"Then we must apologise to the magical community," Arthur suddenly speaks up. "We must try and make amends for what has been done it the past…. We cannot change what happened, but we can make sure it never happens again."

"But why would they forgive you?" Tristan asks. "To them, you are no better than Uthur or Morgana…. You may have been acting under Uthur's orders, but it was you doing the killing and it was you who hunted them down in Uthur's name."

"Tristan is right," Gwaine speaks up. "We did the damage…. We hunted them."

Gaius sighs. "The magical community knows you were acting under the orders of Uthur…. But they still fear you, you need to convince them that you were acting under orders alone and you will no longer hunt the. The wounds of the past will take years to heal, all that matters is you are trying to heal them."

Gwen nodes. "Once you have convinced the council to allow magic back and shown the people what good magic can do, forming a peace treaty with Merlin would show the magical community you mean them no harm."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.**

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**The screen shows, king Godwin's castle in Gawant. As the scene changes to a room the baby Elena can be seen asleep peaceful in her crib. Through the window flies a Sidhe elder. Time seems to slow as the Sidhe elder hovers over Elena and casts a spell. Baby Elena's face shimmers a blue, before fading back to normal, the Sidhe elder smiles as baby Elena wakes crying.**

"What did that Sidhe elder do?" Isolde asks with concern.

"He placed a Sidhe into the babe," Gaius explains. "You must have heard tales of changelings before."

Isolde nodes. "I have…. I always thought they stole the child and replaced it with one of their own."

Gaius shakes his head. "I am afraid that is simply a myth…. The Sidhe have no use for a human child."

Percival glances at Gaius. "Does that mean the babe now has two beings within its body?"

Gaius nodes. "It does, the human soul would not be forced from the body until the Sidhe was ready to convert the body into that of a Sidhe."

Gwen grimaces slightly. "That doesn't sound at all pleasant."

**Twenty years later Elena is getting ready to leave and not at all acting ladylike. King Godwin waits outside with the carriages, ready to leave. They were ready to travel to Camelot. Out of the castle Elena appears, with no shoes. Grunhilda soon follows…. With her shoes.**

Gaius shivers slightly at the appearance for Grunhilda, he had not appreciated her advances to say the least. He suddenly looks slightly horrified and highly embarrassed as he relished everyone was going to see what happened.

"She doesn't act like a lady, that's for sure." Gwaine mutters.

Isolde nodes. "I have been told most changelings act like that or worse…. They are supposed to be troublesome and in some causes evil."

Arthur sighed. "That explains why she acted the way she did…. She didn't appear to have any manners."

"Why didn't her father ever notice the way she behaved?" Percival asked.

"Godwin loved his daughter more than anything else," Gaius explained. "Her mother died in childbirth, leaving Godwin with only Elena as a reminder of his wife and queen. He loved her so much…. He would love her no matter what she did or how she acted."

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**In Camelot Arthur arrives in the hall not minutes before King Godwin and his daughter princess Elena. After Uthur tells Arthur, he is to marry princess Elena, Arthur doesn't have a chance to disagree as Uthur greets Godwin. As Elena step forward to greet them, she trips and falls.**

Gwaine laughs. "That proves you're a princess, king Godwin thought you were beautiful."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Shut up, Gwaine."

"You didn't look pleased." Percival mutters.

"I wasn't," Arthur answers. "I had every right to know about what was planned before they arrived."

"Are you sure that was the only reason?" Elyan grins. "Are you sure it wasn't because you loved someone else."

Arthur takes Gwen's hand and the two share a smile.

Tristan shakes his head. "No matter what class, you should always marry for love…. A loveless marriage is no marriage at all."

**Arthur and Gwen walk through the castle, Merlin not far behind carrying all the bags. Once Merlin had passed Arthur and Gwen talk and are still unable to admit they have feelings for each other.**

Elyan looks between Arthur and his sister. "How you two have ended up together I'll never know…. You just can't seem to admit you like each other."

Leon smiles. "Arthur wasn't king then, to have admitted his feelings whilst he was prince would have gotten Gwen into trouble."

Percival nodes. "Plus people could use Gwen as bait to trap Arthur."

"They still can use Gwen as bait." Gwaine points out.

"Yes but Arthur is king, he can take knights with him, he couldn't so that when he was prince…. Plus Arthur and Gwen will be married soon, not many would try and kidnap the queen."

"Morgana might." Elyan mutters.

"Merlin can save her!" Gwaine grins.

**Later that night Merlin is tidying up Arthur room before he leaves for the night. After insulting Arthur, he had a pillow thrown at him, he ducks at the same moment the king enters the room. After Merlin leaves, Uthur speaks with Arthur about Princess Elena.**

"Good going, Arthur," Gwaine laughs. "Throw a pillow at Merlin and almost hit the king."

"Was the alliance Uthur had with King Godwin weak? I mean you do not have to have a marriage to create a strong alliance." Isolde mutters. "I'm sure Uthur married your mother because he loved her, not just to form an alliance."

"My father was always convinced that his allies would turn against him if he showed any kind of weakness…. A marriage would stop that from happening, a king like Godwin would not turn against his daughter."

**Elsewhere in the castle, Elena is crying in her sleep. Grunhilda appears through the door and hurries over. She pulls a bag of from under the bed, pulling out a pitch of glittering dust, she sprinkles it over Elena face and watches as Sidhe appears through her skin. **

"That was the Sidhe," Gaius explains. "When you have two souls living in one body it can be quite painful. The dust simply helped send the Sidhe back into its dormant state, until it was ready to waken."

"That dust, was it fairy dust?" Gwen asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "I believe it was pixie dust, but I am not sure…. It was a couple of years ago this happened, I can't quits remember what type of dust it was."

**Later on Grunhilda leaves the castle and travels to the lake of Avalon. Where she promises the Sidhe elders they will have a Sidhe queen, the queen of Camelot no less. **

"Right," Gwaine mutters. "Did they not think that the moment Elena turned out to be a Sidhe fairy changeling, they would not kill her. I'm sure Uthur would kill her, Sidhe are creatures of magic."

"If Uthur killed Elena, changeling or not, it would have started a war with King Godwin." Gaius explains. "They knew there would have been little Uthur could do, without starting a war."

Arthur nodes. "King Godwin rules a powerful kingdom, a war with them would have caused a lot of damage and many deaths."

Percival thinks for a moment. "But before, they were willing to let Arthur be sacrificed in order for that Sophia girl to return to Avalon…. Wouldn't have letting Arthur die have ruined this plan."

"The Sidhe are greedy," Taliesin speaks up. "They crave the souls of those who have great power. A princes soul, the soul of the once and future king, would have been quite a prize."

Arthur shivers slightly, he had Merlin to thank for saving him from that fate.

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**The following day Merlin is preparing the horses, Arthur is taking Elena out for a ride. Elena appears out the castle, takes the horse and rides out the court yard, leaving Merlin and Arthur to watch her go. Arthur is quick to follow, but can't catch up with her until she comes to a stop near a stream and Arthur gives her a rose. Merlin finally catches up and is threatened by Arthur, not to leave him alone again.**

Gwaine laughs. "That was brilliant…. What a lame excuse for losing a horse race, you stopped to smell the roses and you call Merlin a girl."

"You have to feel sorry for her," Gwen mutters. "She really doesn't do well in social situations."

Isolde nodes. "I sure it's only the Sidhe, that makes her act like that. Sidhe and fairy changelings are always troublesome."

Gaius looks at Arthur. "You are a lot like your mother, Arthur, I know she could not be prouder."

Arthur smiles sadly. "I just wish I knew more about her."

**Arthur, Elena and Merlin return to Camelot. Where Elena trips on the steps and Merlin and Arthur agree on something for once. Later that night at the feast, Elena is less than ladylike, while Merlin who is standing with Gwen behind them tries not to laugh and Grunhilda sets her sights on Gaius. Uthur and Godwin talk about the advantages of their children marrying. Grunhilda moves and sits beside Gaius.**

Percival looks slightly worried as Elena tripped. "I'm surprised she has never hurt herself, she seems to be tripping over all the time."

"You and Merlin agreed on something," Gwaine laughs. "Miracles do happen!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Me and Merlin agree on many things, there just not things of importance."

Elyan snorts. "You and Merlin never agree, unless of course it's running away from bandits."

Gwen and Isolde both look embarrassed on behalf of Elena, as her table manners are less than ladylike. Gaius also looked slightly embarrassed as they watched him and Grunhilda.

Gwaine grins at Gaius. "Seems you are a hit with the ladies, Gaius."

Gaius shivers slightly. "She was a pixie."

Gwaine grins. "So females who aren't even human like you."

**Later that night Grunhilda prepares Elena for bed, Elena admits she has doubt about being able to marry Arthur, because she isn't the perfect princess. She wants the marriage to work because she knows how important it is too her father. As a treat Grunhilda gives Elena a frog to eat. **

"Poor girl," Isolde mutters. "Self-doubting is never a good thing, she may not of been a 'perfect princess' but there is no such thing as perfect. He father loved her and was proud of her that's all that mattered."

Gwen nodes her agreement. "It was her fault the Sidhe placed a fairy in her."

Leon glanced at Gaius. "Is it normal for the Sidhe to eat frogs?"

"I do not know," Gaius answers. "Not much is known about the Sidhe's diet."

Elyan speaks up. "How much is known about the Sidhe?"

"Not much," Gaius answers. "Most knowledge we have is about their magic, little is known about how they live."

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**The following day, Merlin is out collecting herbs for Gaius when he sees Grunhilda. He follows her and watches as she catches flies with her tongue, he uses magic to enhance his sight and watches as Grunhilda catches a fly. He drops the bag of herbs and runs. Returning to Camelot he tells Gaius what he has seen. They decide they need to find out why a magical creature is living in King Godwin's household.**

"Merlin really needs to stop following people around like that," Arthur mutters. "Does he not remember what happened when Morgana and Morgause caught him?"

"I don't think Grunhilda would be able to do that kind of damage, she doesn't seem powerful enough," Leon mutters. "Plus he could just call the dragon."

Elyan shakes his head. "The dragon wasn't pleased with Merlin when he forced him to give the spell to heal Morgana, he might not help."

"No," Percival speaks up. "He would have to help. A dragon cannot refuse the call of a dragon lord, even if it wanted to."

Gwaine smiles. "Plus she didn't look that scary in pixie form, so I doubt she could do that much damage."

Gaius shakes his head. "Pixies are powerful creatures of magic, they may not have the power of the Sidhe, but they are strong. Never underestimate the power and damage they can do."

**Later that night Gaius sneaks through the castle and looks around Elena's room, he finds the bag of dust and accidently tips some of it on the floor. He hears someone coming and Grunhilda appears and things get a bit awkward.**

Leon looks at Gaius. "You've spent too much time with Merlin…. He's the only one I know with the habit of sneaking around other people's rooms."

Gaius smiles slightly. "It was for the good of the kingdom and King Godwin's kingdom."

Gwaine bursts out laughing as he sees Grunhilda trying to appear sexy. "That is the funniest thing I have seen in a while…. Almost beats Arthur with donkey ears, your face Gaius, it was priceless."

Gaius glared at Gwaine slightly. "Just remember this next time you need a tonic for you hang over or a remedy for illness."

Gwaine quickly shuts up with a gulp and everyone else tries not to laugh at Gwaine's panicked expression.

**Later on Gaius explains to Merlin what he found and what he believes Elena is, a changeling. They them work out why the Sidhe would make Elena a changeling.**

"You worked out the whole plan the Sidhe created from finding a bag of pixie dust!" Elyan exclaimed shocked.

Gaius nodes. "It is well known that the Sidhe want a queen in the mortal realm. Avalon is not ruled by a king or queen, you only have lords and ladies, dukes and duchess."

Percival nodes. "So they want power."

Gaius nodes. "They live for thousands of ears, to have a queen in the mortal realm would allow them to rule for many years, longer than any mortal man could live. This land would become these for many years and when Elena finally died another Sidhe would take over."

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**That night Arthur tries to tell his father he doesn't want to marry Elena, whilst having dinner with Uthur and Morgana. After Uthur tells Arthur he will marry Elena, he and Gwen share a look, which doesn't go unnoticed by Morgana.**

"I think Morgana's just worked out Arthur and Gwen have feelings for each other." Isolde mutters. "That cannot be good news for either of you."

Arthur and Gwen shared a look, both knowing Morgana had tried to kill them before and had nearly done so in some cases.

"Morgan knowing of Arthur and Gwen's romantic feelings for each other, simply made it easier for her to destroy them." Gaius sighs. "Luckily Merlin has been able to stop her on most occasions."

**Later that night Merlin spies on Elena and Grunhilda. He watches as Grunhilda pours the pixie dust over Elena face and sees the Sidhe. In his surprise he falls over backwards and knocks all the stuff on the table he was standing on. Grunhilda quickly rushes out of the room but Merlin had already run for it. Returning to Gaius's chamber he tells him what he has found out. So Gaius and Merlin spend most of the night reading books on Sidhe magic.**

"He's an idiot!" Arthur mutters. "He nearly got caught."

Elyan nodes. "Luckily he didn't."

"He should be more careful," Leon shakes his head. "He would have been beheaded if he had been caught spying on Elena like that."

Percival looks at Gaius. "The book you gave him, what language was it?"

"It was the language of the Sidhe," Gaius explains. "Merlin knows how to speak it and read it. He's had to learn many language, each magical being has its own language."

Percival nodes. "It was the same language that was on the staff Sophia and her father had, wasn't it?"

Gaius nodes. "It was."

**He following day Morgana makes sure there are feelings between Arthur and Gwen, after testing Gwen reaction on Arthur being forced to marry she knows the two love each other. Back in Gaius's chamber Merlin is still reading through the books trying to find the right spell. Gaius finally finds a potion that can force the fairy out of someone's body, but has no idea what half the ingredients are.**

Gwaine grins. "Trust the answer to be in the last book you looked in."

Elyan smiled. "Not that it helped much, if you didn't know what half the ingredients were, how could you make it?"

Leon nodes. "You would have to cross reference a lot of books to find out what the ingredients were and what their name are now."

"Which can take a lot of time," Percival mutters. "You would have to go through a lot of books."

Gwaine laughs. "And knowing their luck, it would be in the last book they looked in."

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**Gwen visits Arthur after speaking to Morgana. They talk about their feeling for each other and know they can never be together. Arthur asks Gwen what she will do if he marries Elena. In the court room Merlin asks if the potion is done yet and Gaius complains about how bad the witches are at writing the recipe. Once the court falls silent, Arthur asks Elena for her hand in marriage.**

"Least they managed to admit they had feelings for each other." Tristan mutter. "It took you long enough."

Gwen smiled. "Do you think we are still both insane?"

"Not in the slightest." Arthur answers.

"I bet Merlin would disagree with you, princess" Gwaine grins.

Leon shakes his head. "You were in court and you complained about how those witches were the worst recipe writers in history, any one could have heard you!"

Gaius sighs. "If the king had asked, I would have simply said the recipe was for a cure I was working on, not all things written by witches are magical and Uthur knew I had books written by such people, to aid be in finding cures."

"That," Isolde mutters. "Was the most formal wedding proposal I have ever seen."

Elyan glances at Arthur. "I hope when you proposed the first time, to Gwen, it was better than that."

"It was!" Arthur answers.

"Merlin no doubt helped." Percival laughs.

"I am capable of doing things myself." Arthur answers.

Gwaine snorts and soon everyone is laughing.

**Later that night Merlin returns with the flower Gaius needed for the potion and covered in mud, Gaius promises the flower was all they needed. Elsewhere Grunhilda has gone back to the lake of Avalon and told them of Arthur and Elena's marriage, but also warns them that Merlin knows what is going on. The Sidhe then promise to let Merlin know who he is messing with, the powerful Sidhe. **

Everyone couldn't help but smile, seeing Merlin covered in mud and glaring at the flower.

"Merlin never seems that lucky does he?" Gwaine mutters. "The flower just had to be in the middle of a bog."

Leon sighs. "But he is awfully lucky in stopping evil plots and never getting caught for using magic."

Percival shakes his head. "Getting threatened by the Sidhe cannot be good."

Taliesin smiles slightly. "The events you are about to see unfold, forced the Sidhe to swear loyalty to Merlin. Anyone who tries to kill Merlin faces the wrath of the gods, even the Sidhe are not powerful enough to take on the gods."

**Later that night, the Sidhe elder flies into Camelot and tries to kill Merlin while he sleeps. But lucky the Merlin senses the Sidhe's power and is awoken by it. After using magic to enhance his sight, he sees what he is up against, rolling out of bed to avoid getting hit by a spell, Merlin grabs his staff and the two battle…. Merlin wins. But accidently destroys the potion for Elena.**

Gwen grips Arthur's hand in worry as Merlin and the Sidhe battle.

Elyan shakes his head. "That could have gone so badly if Merlin hadn't been woken up."

Leon nodes. "Least he killed the thing."

Isolde looks worried. "The potion was destroyed. How long did it take to make?"

Gaius smiled slightly. "Long enough."

"Do magical beings try to assassinate Merlin a lot?" Tristan asks.

"A lot have tried in the past," Taliesin replies. "But none are still alive. To kill the once and future king, you must first kill Emrys."

Arthur sighed. "If Merlin ever returns to Camelot, we will have to get some guards for him."

Gaius shakes his head. "There are not many who have the power to destroy the Side and other magical creatures, Merlin is one of the few people who can…. You would be unlikely to find people of such a power who would work as guards."

"But Merlin is king of the druids," Gwaine points out. "Wouldn't it be an honour to guard him?"

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**He following morning, Elena is having doubts about marrying Arthur, but Grunhilda simply tells her it is nerves. Back in Gaius's chamber, he has just finished remaking the potion, but it cannot be given to Elena while Grunhilda is around. So Merlin comes up with a plan.**

Gwaine grins. "From the look on Merlin's face this plan is going to be good."

Gaius turns slightly red, remembering what he was forced to do.

"Least the potion was remade in time." Isolde sighs in relief.

Gwen nodes. "Elena will finally be ride of the fairy." Gwen couldn't help but feel sorry for Elena, being a changeling did not appear to appealing.

**Merlin's plan of getting Gaius to ask Grunhilda to meet him in the vaults works and Grunhilda agrees to meet him there. Before Grunhilda appears Gaius warns Merlin to help him, if anything goes wrong. Merlin quickly hides as Grunhilda approaches and Merlin's plan works they trap Grunhilda in the vaults. As they walk through the castle Gaius warns him never to speak of it, whist Grunhilda tries to escape.**

Gwaine grins. "Only Merlin would wait and watch, if anything went wrong."

Gaius glares at Gwaine, he had not been pleased that waiting and watching had been Merlin's first answer, but Gaius was sure Merlin had just said it to annoy him. He knew how embarrassed Gaius had been about doing it.

"The spell Merlin placed on the lock, Grunhilda couldn't undo it," Leon speaks. "Was it because she said the wrong spell or because Merlin was simply more powerful?"

"It was because Merlin's magic was more powerful," Taliesin answers. "All Grunhilda's spells simply weakened the spell Merlin had cast until she could over power it."

**Grunhilda finally gets free and Merlin is left to battle her, while Gaius takes the potion to Elena. Gaius tries to convince Elena to drink it, but she keeps shopping every time she is about to drink it. Outside Merlin finally destroys Grunhilda and burst into Elena's room. Upon seeing Elena hadn't drunk the potion, he simply walks over, hands Gaius his staff, takes the potion, grabs Elena's nose, tips her head back and pours the potion down her throat. The Sidhe is released and Merlin quickly destroys it. **

Arthur's jaw hits the floor. "He did realise that Elena was royalty, right?"

Gaius nodes. "He did."

"You can't just treat a princess like that!" Arthur exclaimed. "He could have got in so much trouble."

Gwaine grins. "It worked though."

"That's beside the point." Arthur answers.

"If he hadn't done that, we wouldn't have got Elena to drink it in time." Gaius answers. "And you would have married a Sidhe."

Gwen smiles. "You and Merlin really are like father and son, you even spoke the same thing at the same time."

Gaius smiles. "Great minds think alike."

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**Gaius then helps Elena prepare for her wedding. After all Grunhilda was no longer around to help, thanks to Merlin. Merlin quickly leaves and finds Arthur. Arthur asks Merlin if he knew what it felt like to have a destiny you cannot escape, to which he answer truthful, but lies about where he got the knowledge from. Arthur asks Merlin what he should do, should he marry her.**

Everyone looks at Arthur, who sighs.

"Okay," He mutters. "Merlin knows a lot more than he shows, I was just surprised he spoke with so much wisdom and knowledge."

"He was being truthful," Taliesin answers. "Merlin has a great destiny, one he can not escape. One he has little choice in, but one he believes in with all his being."

"Least you asked for Merlin's advice." Percival mutters.

"And good advice at that." Leon adds. "It is you choice and your choice alone as to how you rule your kingdom."

**Arthur calls off the wedding. Uthur looks furious. Godwin simply wants what is best for his daughter. Gwen looks pleased and Merlin simply smiles. Back in Arthur's room, Uthur yells at Arthur. As Elena and Godwin leave, Elena informs Arthur that if he ever wants to be beaten in a horse race, he knows where to find her. Back in the castle, Merlin quickly disappears to leave Arthur and Gwen to talk.**

Isolde smiles. "I am glad it all worked out in the end."

Tristan nodes. "Good thing they never found out what happened to Grunhilda, Gaius and Merlin would have has a lot to answer to."

Everyone smiles, the more they watched the more things they had to thank Merlin for.

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**Hey, I know there was only one adventure in this chapter, but it was getting too long, the castle of Fyrien will be up soon :) hope you liked this chapter,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	35. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-four: New developments.

Merlin run through the streets. He was barely aware of people calling his name somewhere behind him. As he left the town he run into the woods, he stopped in a small clearing and sat down. He let out a shaky breath and held his head in his hands. Not long after, Aithusa dropped out the sky and landed on his shoulders, Merlin smiled slightly and stroked Aithusa's head.

Finna had been attacked outside his room. He hadn't got there quick enough, he had seen her thrown into a wall, for a moment he was worried the spell had killed her. Then Jared had tried to attack him, thinking he was a simple druid. Merlin smiled, it seemed people still underestimated him, thinking someone so weak looking could hold so much power.

Sighing Merlin lay back on the grass, causing Aithusa to jumps off Merlin's shoulders. As Aithusa got comfortable on Merlin's chest, Merlin shut his eyes. He could have sworn when Jared raised his hand he had Mordred's crest tattooed on his wrist. He recognised it from his dream of the first battle of Camlann.

Merlin snorted, why would a sorcerer be stupid enough to work for Mordred? Mordred was no lover of humans. He had once been human, but the magic he used caused his soul to become twisted and lose all humanity it once held. Mordred was quite clearly using Jared, only he wasn't cleaver enough to see it.

Aithusa sneezed causing a small ball of fire to burst from his mouth, Merlin rolled his eyes as the fire danced over his skin. Since he had become a dragon lord, fire couldn't really harm him…. Well not as much as it had once been able to, the only fire which could harm him had to be created by magic. He could hold a normal none-magical fire in the palm of his hand without the aid of magic and his nightmares of burning on the pyre became a thing of myth. Only to be replaced by the dead who hunted him.

He could imagine Uthur's face, as he failed to burn. He had often wondered if Uthur tried to burn the dragon lords over and over again, after all they couldn't be killed by normal flames, but never thought it a topic worth troubling people with. Everyone he knew who could answer the question to, were still hunted by the days of the great purge and refused to speak of it.

Gaius was still hunted by what happens during the great purge, he hardly ever admit it, but he felt great guilt for not helping more people…. His fear of being killed and losing his place beside the king had stopped him from helping.

The fear of being burned stopped a lot of people from helping others. All those who stood up for sorcerers or aided them were killed alongside the people they tried to help. Gaius was lucky he hadn't been caught helping those he did help.

Merlin could understand why Gaius never helped, he too had watched people be killed, to frightened to help. He was more powerful than Uthur could imagine, yet Uthur's name still sent cold shivers of fear down his spine. He could almost laugh, Uthur was dead and he still feared him…. Least no sorcerer would be mad enough to bring Uthur back from the dead, so he wouldn't have to face Uthur wrath when he found a sorcerer had been working for his son, for years!

Merlin sighed, sometimes he still thought of himself as a monster, yes he had helped many escape Camelot, as a way to try and make up for not saving the women he loved, Freya…. But he had watched so many die, he had let so many die and so many had died for him, to protect him and the future he would help create. He had vent killed his own kind, all to keep his friends safe, least he found peace in the fact, he had never killed someone who was innocent. All those he had killed practiced dark magic or killed others.

History would remember all the great things he had done…. But all his mistakes would be his to remember until the end of time. The guilt he felt would never leave him and the dead would always haunt his dreams. He had blood on his hands that would never wash off.

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Kilgharrah refused to speak about the great purge, he said it was a time of great darkness, but that was all he ever said. Merlin only knew what happened to the dragons because of what Balinor, his father, had told him before he died. Merlin often dreamt of what happened to the dragons…. A once noble race hunted like common animals.

Merlin knew the great purge had upset Kilgharrah deeply. He had watched all his kin be slaughtered and then been imprisoned below the castle as a trophy Uthur could brag about. He couldn't imagine what that must have felt like, to have your family torn away from you like that and to fear you would never see the light of day again.

Aithusa sensed Merlin change in mood and let out a small squeak and a puff of smoke. Merlin smiled, Kilgharrah had been so happy when Aithusa had hatched. He may not have shown it, but Merlin had sensed the happiness radiating off him. Stroking Aithusa head, Merlin watched the clouds.

Alator and many others here, had survived the great purge. The purge was something they never talked about. So many people had lost loved ones and watched other people suffer, too scared to help. The druids had been dealt the worst blows, being a peaceful people they never fought back and helped anyone who came to them for aid.

Uthur and Arthur had both lead attacks against them and so many people had died. Merlin's people, people who turned to him for aid and protection. At the time these attacks happened Merlin, hadn't even left his home to come to Camelot, so had no way of knowing or stopping it. But then when he did come to Camelot, he lead Arthur right to a druid camp on more than one occasion and had done little to stop it.

People kept dying in his name and he was unable to save them. Every druid, sorcerer and creature of magic died hoping Emrys would save them and he had not.

"You cannot save everyone, no matter how hard you try." Iseldir speaks from beside Merlin.

Merlin sighs, still watching the clouds. "So many people have died and I was too scared to save them."

Iseldir shakes his head. "You saved as many as you could. To have tried to save everyone would have gotten you killed…. If you had died, we would never have been safe. We have a kingdom where we are safe and can practice our magic freely, we can teach our children without fear of them being killed and we are happy."

"But I have made so many mistake, sacrificed so many friends and kin in order to keep Arthur and Camelot safe," Merlin answers. "My mistakes have killed many and caused a lot of pain."

"You are young, Emrys," Iseldir answers. "You learn from your mistakes…. Everyone makes mistakes, no matter how hard they try not to."

"But no one else's mistakes kill hundreds of people," Merlin replies. "Maybe Gaius was wrong, I am a monster…. What kind of person turns their back on their kin, just to protect the son of Uthur Pendragon?"

Iseldir stared at Merlin, not sure what to say. Everyone saw Merlin as a strong young man, who always did what he had to do, to protect his friends and those he cared about…. Yet here he appeared so weak and troubled. Iseldir looked at him sadly, he had such a great power, it made people forget, he was just one person fighting a world that would kill him without hesitation. And the mistakes of the past haunted him like ghosts.

"You did what you believed to be right, that takes courage," Iseldir finally speaks. "There are many who would not stand up and fight for what they believe in, like you have. You protect as many as you can and fight against those who do more harm than good…. It shows you have a good heart. By protecting Camelot you have saved the lives of many innocent people, who have no defence against magic…. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."

"But I have killed so many." Merlin mutters.

"You killed to save the lives of your friends and people you care about," Iseldir answers. "There is no good and evil in this world, it is simply the difference between right and wrong. You have always tried to do the right thing and sometimes trying to do the right thing has done more damage than good, people will always make mistakes."

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Alator watched as Merlin walked towards the tower, Aithusa sitting on his shoulders and Iseldir walking beside him. When Merlin had left the tower he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, shadows seemed to cling to him and a dark mood blocked out all the happiness he usually had.

As they approached Alator noticed Merlin seemed more like his normal self, but his eyes still lacked their normal spark. Iseldir suddenly turns to Merlin.

"I almost forgot," He speaks. "You must go to the lake of Avalon tomorrow at dawn and you must go alone. The Sidhe wish to speak to you."

Merlin glances at Iseldir. "Is it about the mortal gateway they want me to create?"

Iseldir shakes his head. "They wish to form an alliance between this realm and Avalon. To form this alliance you are to marry."

Merlin stood walking. "What?"

"To form an alliance they wish you to marry…. Your bride has already been chosen. You must be there at dawn tomorrow, I wish you good fortune, Merlin Emrys."

Merlin watches Iseldir walk off, in a stunned silence.

"I'm getting married?" Merlin finally manages to ask.

"It appears so," Alator replies. "A marriage would form a good alliance with Avalon."

"This is just madness." Merlin exclaimed.

"They say there is method to the madness," Alator smiles. "Do not be so quick to judge, you have yet to meet the one who is to be your bride."

Merlin suddenly looks horrified. "You don't think they'll make me marry a Sidhe do you? I mean there is nothing wrong with the Sidhe but I don't want to marry one!"

Alator laughed. "The Sidhe are not the only ones who live in Avalon, you could marry someone from any race…. Even human."

"Humans live in Avalon? I thought it was only those who had died could pass into Avalon." Merlin asks.

Alator shakes his head. "The humans who live there are like you, they are immortal and when their jobs in this realm as complete, they move to Avalon."

Merlin shakes his head. "I guess I will have to go, but I am not marrying someone I have no feelings for."

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News spread fast through the realm of Avalon. Soon everyone knew there was to be a wedding between someone from the human realm and the lady of the lake. The only person who didn't know about it was the lady of the lake herself. Freya, had been busy watching the mortal realm, hoping to see Merlin and was unaware of the news.

"Lady Freya! Lady Freya!" A young nymph calls running towards her.

Freya turns round. "What is it, Arethiusa?"

"I wanted to congratulate you. It is such good news."

"Congratulate me on what?"

"You marriage of course! It is the talk of Avalon!" Arethiusa exclaimed happily.

"What?"

"You getting married the Sidhe elders arranged it this morning!"

"No," Freya gasps. "I cannot marry!"

Arethusa smiles. "He's from the human realm, I have heard. The Sidhe are granting you a mortal body once more so you may return to the human realm once more…. How romantic!"

Freya sits down suddenly. She would be granted a mortal body once more…. She would be able to see Merlin. Merlin! If she saw Merlin, it would break her heart, to see him but be married to another.

"He's a king, I have been told," Arethusa continues. "You are going to be a queen! You'll be able to have whatever you want and do whatever you want, you'll be queen."

"But I don't want to marry a king!" Freya exclaimed. "I don't even know their name!"

"Why does that matter? You'll be queen!"

Freya shakes her head, this was even worse. Merlin would no doubt hear about the marriage, they might be forced to go to Camelot to sign a peace treaty…. She might see him again!

"No!" Freya yells. "I do not want to be queen or be rich and rule a kingdom…. All I want is Merlin, to be happy and loved." She whispered the last bit, so it went unheard by Arethusa.

Tears roll down her cheeks, reminding her of the time she cried when she thought Merlin wasn't coming back, when she had been hiding in Camelot. When she had spoken to him and handed him the sword, it broke her heart all over again, knowing she could never be with him…. Not until he died and joined her in Avalon.

"Don't cry Freya," Arethusa comforted her. "You'll have a life of luxury and everything you could dream of or wish to have."

"But I won't be able to have Merlin." She mutters to herself. "He is the only one I could dream of spending my life with."

"The wedding is tomorrow," Arethusa smiles. "So a dress needs to be fitted…. Come on I will help you."

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Alator, Merlin and the council gathered in the hall, Merlin was still stressing about the fact tomorrow he would have to marry someone from Avalon. Alator couldn't help but feel bad for Merlin, he had heard about Merlin's love, who had been killed by Arthur. He knew the pain it still caused him, to be forced to marry and without love, would not help Merlin in the slightest.

As the last councilman takes his place the meeting begins.

"Reports have come in, regarding the army Mordred has created," A councilman speaks up. "From what the reports say, the army is growing in numbers daily…. We are already outnumbered five to one."

"Could he simply be using an illusion to scare us?" a second councilman speaks up. "If he can make it look like we won't stand a chance against him, he may think we'll give up."

"The report states that illusions are being used, but only to hide the number of soldiers Mordred has…. There may be more who are hidden by illusions." The first councilman replies. "The scouts are yet to destroy ever illusion."

Merlin and Alator shared a worried glance. There were to be outnumbered by five to one and it was possible there were more they didn't know about.

"What facts do we actually have?" A third councilman asks.

"None of Mordred army are human all are creatures summoned or created by Mordred's power," The first councilman answers, reading the report. "We currently outnumbered five to one. Mordred has somehow gotten the aid of the Saxons, no doubt the work of Morgana.

"A fleet of fifty Saxon ships will reach the coast in a matter of days, a second army is said to be traveling through the mountains to join Mordred current army, and they alone out number us three to one. It is also possible sorcerers loyal to Morgana will fight against us, as well as those who follow Mordred…. They will be the only humans we will have to fight."

"But Mordred hates humans," A forth councilman speaks up. "Why would he let them aid him?"

"An army of Saxon's and a couple hundred sorcery can easily be destroyed," A fifth answers. "Once he has won he can simply destroy them."

"Then we must start preparing for war," Alator speaks up. "If we are to be attacked now, we will stand little chance…. I will inform the Catha, we will be ready for war, before the sun sets."

"I will inform the druids," Merlin adds. "I will see how many are willing to help."

The head councilman nodes. "Prepare for war, we cannot be caught off guard. Once the army is ready you will start making plans."

Everyone calls their agreement and quickly leaves to inform the people, the kingdom was about to go to war and that is was fast approaching.

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The druid council gather in the council hall and wait for Merlin to appear. Everyone knew why they had been called here, but refused to believe it until it was announced. The druids and many others had been uneasy, the kingdom was not yet a week old and already it was being forced to go war.

Merlin appeared at the head of the council table, he bowed his head and the council bowed theirs in return.

"I am sorry to have called you here," Merlin speaks up. "But the kingdom is preparing for war…. As your king, I must ask, will you fight alongside me?"

The council are silent for a moment, Merlin watches them as they share looks and mutter.

"Why not order us?" One druid asks. "You are our king."

Merlin looks at him. "I may be king, but that does not give me the right to take away your free will, it is you choice if you fight…. Everyone knows druids are a peaceful people who dislike war and fighting…. As you king I have to respect that and you let you choose, I will not force you to do something you do not wish to do."

"What if we refuse to fight?" A second asks.

"I do not ask you to fight," Merlin answers. "I ask for help and support. If there are those of you who wish to fight, then fight. If there are those of you who wish only to heal and tend to the injured then do that. I will not force you to fight or risk your lives."

"You have proven yourself to be a wise and just king," A third druid answers. "I will support you, in any way possible. My people come from king Sarrum's kingdom, we know how to fight."

Iseldir at last speaks up. "I will support you, also, my lord. But my people are better suited to the healing arts."

Merlin nodes. "So you will help?"

Iseldir nodes. "My camp and I, will help and support you in all the ways we can. Some will be able to fight, but most of the magic we practice is healing magic and defence magic."

Merlin smiled. "Then there will be plenty need for you skills."

Other druids speak of what their orders and camps will be able to do and Merlin quickly records it all. The war council needed to be informed of what the druids could do…. If they were to start planning for war, they needed to know what everyone was capable of.

As the council leave to inform their people of the news they had just been told, Merlin watches them. He had just condemned his people to war, not that he could have stopped the war from happening, even if he had tried.

But he had given his people the choice, they could help or fight or do nothing. They had chosen to help and support him. Merlin could never force someone to do something against their own will, least of all his people. And he was glad they had chosen to help and supported him and the kingdom they now called home.

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Hunith sat down beside her son.

"There is something troubling you, my child, what's the matter?"

"We are about to go to war," Merlin answers. "I am worried."

Hunith sighed. "War is unpleasant, but sometimes it is the only way to stop those who are doing evil things…. When we win this war, people throughout the lands will be safe from Mordred."

"How can you be so sure we will win?"

"Because I believe in what we fight for," Hunith answers her son. "We fight for peace, we fight for freedom and we fight to keep the ones we love safe…. If Mordred was to win, we would have no peace, no freedom and we would be powerless to protect the ones we love."

Merlin sighs. "I asked the druids if they would help, but I couldn't help but feel like they were testing me…. They seemed pleased I asked them to help of their own free will and not by force."

"They needed to see what was truly in your heart…. They now know you would never force someone to do something against their free will if it risked them getting hurt."

The two of them fall into a comfortable silence before Merlin speaks again.

"I am to go to Avalon tomorrow and be married." Merlin smiles nervously.

Hunith to say the least was surprised. "Married?"

Merlin nodes. "It is to form an alliance between this realm and Avalon…. But I cannot do it…. Freya…. She is the only women I'll ever be able to love in that way…. I know we didn't spend that much time together, but I love her with all my heart…. I always will."

"You will see her again, that I am sure."

Merlin shakes his head. "We can only be reunited in death…. I…. I'm immortal…. I can never die, I'll never see her again…. I will forever remain in the land of the living, while she will forever remain in the lake of Avalon."

"My child!" Hunith gasps, pulling her son into a hug. She had comfort knowing in her death she would see Balinor again, to imagine never being able to see him again was almost too painful. Yet that was all her son felt and she would do anything to get rid of that pain, if only she was given a way.

Hunith finally speaks. "They cannot force you to marry, my child."

Merlin sighed. "I know…. But I still need to go, as much as I do not want to do this…. Something in the back of my mind is telling me to do so."

Hunith looked at her son. "You have changed so much…. You have done so many things…. No matter what you do, my child, I will always be proud of you."

"I bet you didn't think that when I broke all the plates when I was six!" Merlin laughs, trying to lighten the mood.

Hunith smiled. "Just remember, follow your heart."

"I will."

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Alice was mixing a potion as Merlin walked through the door.

"Merlin." She greets.

"Alice," Merlin replied. "You wanted to speak to me about Terrance."

"I do," Alice smiles. "Don't worry its nothing bad."

Merlin smiled and sat down at one of the benches and picked up a small bottle. "I don't think anything could be bad news in the light of current events."

Alice sighed. "It's about Terrance's magic."

"What about it?"

"He can only control the elements fire," Alice answers. "Hence why he is so powerful."

"So he can't control any other element? At all?" Merlin asked.

"He cannot control any other element. People like Terrance, besides warlock and witches, are born with their powers. I once met a girl who could only control the element earth…. They are not common, but they are more common than people like you, Merlin."

Merlin nodes. "So he can only cast spells which are fire based?"

Alice nodes. "And will be stronger than your average sorcerer in that element."

"That explains why he picked up that spell so quickly."

At that moment there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Alice calls, finishing off the potion she was making.

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Alator walked through the door, followed by two hooded men, who reminded Merlin of Morgauses' blood guard.

"Sorry to disturb you," Alator mutter. "I was told Merlin was here and I need to speak with him."

"About what?" Merlin asked.

"These," Alator points at the two men. "Are your new guards. Until we have found the traitor, they will be guarding you."

"What!" Merlin exclaimed. "I don't need guards!"

Alator glanced at Merlin. "It has come to my attention that you have suffered a lot of wounds in the past, due to the fact you have no one to watch your back. You are powerful, yes, but you focus so much on saving other people, you do not protect yourself."

Merlin glared at him for a moment, before turning back to the small bottle he had in his hand. He looked at the writing on the side, hemlock, Merlin almost smiled. Putting the bottle down, he faced Alator.

"And what makes you so sure they will be able to protect me from the likes of Morgana? I will not have people risking their lives for me…. Too many people have already died trying to protect me."

Alator sighed. "They have agreed to guard you, Merlin, they know the risks."

Merlin sighed. "I am immortal, is that correct?"

Alator nodes. "It is."

"So who can kill me? If I'm immortal no one can kill me!"

"You are mistaken," Alator answers. "You can be killed."

"What?"

"Mordred has a Hallows sword, it can kill the living dead…. It can kill those who are immortal."

Merlin stared at him for a moment. "And you want people to risk their lives to stand between me and Mordred? I'm not even sure I have the power to destroy him and I am supposed to be the most powerful!"

Alator nodes. "I want them to guard you, you need all the protection you can get…. If Mordred kills you, the war will be lost before it beings…. So they will be guarding you until this war begins."

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**Hey hoped you liked this chapter. I tried to focus on the guilt Merlin must feel at the start and also others who have magic. Merlin has watched a lot of people die for him and in his name, throughout the show and living with that guilt can't be easy. I feel a little bit evil for making it so Freya and Merlin don't know they are to marry each other, but I thought it would be a nice surprise :), until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	36. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-five: The castle of Fyrien and Love in the time of dragons.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The scene shows Gwen blowing out the last of the candles in Morgana's room before leaving for the night. She walks back through the lower town to her home, no one is around and it's almost completely dark. After entering her home, she knocked out by a couple of men and taken from the city. Morgana just watches from her window with a wicked smile. **

Elyan glances at his sister in worry. "I'm sorry."

Gwen shakes her head. "It wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't been caught…."

"Cenrid ordered for you to be caught," Gwen replies. "Not many can hide from an army."

"She planned it, didn't she?" Isolde asks. "She arranged for that to happen."

Gaius nodes. "She did. It was the perfect way to lead Arthur into a trap."

Gwen shakes her head. "What did I do, to make her hate me so much?"

**The following morning Merlin wakes Arthur up, tries to find a new morning greeting for Arthur and gets a breakable object thrown at him. As Arthur and Uthur talk over breakfast, Morgana arrives late and informs the Gwen didn't tune up for work. Afterwards Arthur tells Merlin to go down to Gwen's house and find out what's wrong. And so Merlin goes down to Gwen's house and works out Gwen has been kidnapped.**

Gwen smiles as she watches Merlin duck out the way of the object Arthur throws at him. "Will you ever change Arthur?"

Arthur smiled slightly. "He's getting better…. He ducks out the way of most things I throw at him."

"Morgana really is good at acting," Leon mutters. "If I hadn't known she planned Gwen's kidnapping, I really would have believed she was worried."

Percival nodes. "The smirking was the only thing that gave her away."

Gwaine grins at Arthur. "You could have gone to look you know?"

"I couldn't," Arthur answers. "I had work to do…. Plus if my father had ever found out…."

"He nearly had Gwen executed," Leon continues. "For enchanting Arthur…. A servant and a prince can never marry."

**In Cenrid's dungeons Elyan is chained to a wall, whist Cenred and Morgause watch him. Not long after Gwen is bought into the throne room and thrown before Cenred and not long after Elyan is bought in. As Elyan and Gwen try to work out why Cenred would want them, Cenrid and Morgause watch them from a window above. Back in Camelot Merlin shows Arthur what he has found and also tells him what he thinks has happened to Gwen.**

Tristan sighs. "He wanted Elyan and Gwen to try and lead Arthur into a trap."

Gaius nodes. "He was a cruel man."

Everyone laughs as Arthur presses the cloth to his face before sniffing it.

"You're an idiot Arthur," Gwaine laughs. "Even Merlin was wise enough to sniff the cloth from a distance."

Percival grins. "That could have been a painful landing, if Merlin hadn't used magic to move the chair."

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**Back in Cenrid's castle, Cenrid tells Gwen the reason she was bought here. If she doesn't bring Prince Arthur, her brother will be killed. Back in Camelot Arthur is informing the king and Morgana what he knows of Gwen's disappearance. The following day Gwen returns, Morgana acts surprised and pleased to see her. As Gwen takes the Morgana's laundry down to the wash room, she and Merlin crash into each other. Gwen tries to lie about where she had been, but Merlin tells her he knew she was lying. Finally, when they return to Gwen's house, Merlin convinces Gwen to tell him what was wrong. **

Elyan glares at Cenrid. "He had no right to threaten you like that, Gwen."

Gwen shivers slightly. "I was so worried he was going to kill you…. I knew I couldn't go to Arthur."

"He had no right to threaten either of you like that." Percival corrects Elyan. "Neither of you were from his kingdom, he took both of you from Camelot."

Gwaine shakes his head. "Least Merlin knew what was going on…. I thought Morgana would have gotten Gwen to tell her, then convinced Arthur to help."

"Morgana wouldn't," Percival answers. "If she asked too many questions, Gwen might have got suspicious."

Isolde smiles. "It shows Merlin cares…. Many friends would have just taken your word for being ill."

**Merlin convinces Gwen to tell Arthur and Arthur works out which castle Elyan is being held in…. The castle of Fyrien. Unknown to them Morgana is listening in on their talk. As Arthur comes up with a plan to rescue Elyan, Morgana just smirks, whilst Merlin knows it's a trap and that if Arthur dies Uthur is all who stands between Morgana and the throne of Camelot. Later that night Morgana rides out to tell Morgause that their plan is working the way they wanted it to.**

"And you call Merlin an idiot," Gwaine laughs. "Least he could use magic to get into the castle! What are you going to do, go knock on the front gate and politely ask is they can release Elyan?"

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "We were going to use the secret tunnels under the castle…. But somehow they knew we were there."

"And it was no doubt Morgana who told them," Leon mutters. "She must have listened in on all of your plans."

Gwen glances at Arthur. "No she didn't…. We, well Merlin didn't, agreed to let her come with us."

Tristan shakes his head. "You should really listen to Merlin more."

"They should," Gaius mutters. "But I don't think they ever will."

**The following day Arthur comes up with a lie, so his father doesn't question where he has gone. He tells Uthur he lost a bet with Morgana and needs to get some silk to have dresses made for her, which Uthur finds highly amusing and tells him to hurry up or Morgana will have his guts. Merlin tries not to laugh as they leave the hall. As Merlin prepares to leave, he and Gaius fear Morgana has been feeding Cenrid information. As Merlin leaves, Gaius asks him if Morgana knows of their plan and Merlin answers no, unaware that Morgana does.**

Gwaine grins. "Princess, no need to lie about who the silk dresses were for…. We all know what you get up to in your free time."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "I had to come up with something, losing a bet to Morgana would be the least questionable."

Leon smiled. "Nobody wins bets against Morgana…. I have yet to meet anyone who has even come close to winning a bet with her."

Percival shakes his head. "Would Merlin have been able to have done anything, if he had known Morgana knew the plan?"

Gaius shakes his head. "To have told anyone Morgana was a traitor would have been committing treason in Uthur's eyes. All he could was stop her, without getting caught."

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**Down in the court yard, Merlin fears the worst when Morgana informs him she coming with them. After trying to talk Arthur out of bringing Morgana with them, Merlin just knows he's going to have his work cut out keeping Arthur safe. So the four of them ride out on a quest to save Gwen's brother. As they ride Arthur and Gwen talk and Merlin gets made fun of.**

Elyan glanced at Arthur. "Merlin is more than capable of protecting you…. Yet you wanted the person who was most likely to stab you in the back protecting you."

"I didn't know Morgana was a traitor," Arthur defends himself. "Had I known I wouldn't have trusted her."

"You really don't make Merlin's job easy, do you?" Percival sighs. "I suppose least now Merlin can keep an eye on her."

Gwaine grins. "You do relies Merlin is the one who protects all of us, right? I don't think he needs protecting."

"He needs more protection than you'll ever need," Gaius answers. "He worries so much about protecting others, he does not protect himself."

Leon glances at Arthur. "I remember when you feared those woods, you used to be so on edge, it made everyone else nervous."

**After sending Merlin off to check on Morgana, Arthur and Gwen get some time alone. They talk about Elyan and their feelings for each other. Elsewhere in the woods, Merlin and Morgana talk, Merlin fails to understand how someone can hurt their friends and Morgana tells him they just poison them. Merlin promises Morgana he will do whatever it takes to protect his friends and appears quite threatening, whilst doing so. Arthur and Gwen go to kiss but Merlin and Morgana return.**

"I really hope I never get on the wrong side of Merlin," Gwaine mutters. "He seemed quite….."

"Deadly?" Leon suggests.

"What about dangerous?" Elyan mutters.

"Or threatening?" Percival adds.

Gwaine nodes. "He seemed serious…. Almost…. Dark and I dare say evil."

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin would never be evil…. He's just not the best person to get on the wrong side of."

Isolde smiles at Gwen. "You and Arthur will always be there for each other, that I am sure of."

**Later when they are all eating, Arthur explains there is a secret way into the castle. Merlin tries his best to stop Arthur from explaining the secret way in, knowing Morgana will tell Morgause, but fails. And as Merlin knew, Morgana tells Morgause of the tunnels under the castle. Morgause gives Morgana an enchanted ring, which she simply has to place on the ground and it will lead them to the tunnels.**

Leon shakes his head. "If only we knew Morgana was a traitor, it would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"Princess," Gwaine smiles. "You really need to stop giving away top secret information to the enemy, it's really not helping Merlin."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

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**The following morning, they set off again. Merlin who knows Morgana is planning something spots a snake in the grass and uses magic, to enchant it into scaring Morgana horse. Morgana is thrown from her horse and damages her ankle. Merlin tells her she needs to rest but Morgana refuses to be left behind, so continues with them. In the castle Cenrid and Morgause talk, Morgause reassures Cenrid that Morgana will lead them straight to the tunnels entrance.**

Tristan shakes his head, as Merlin fails to keep Morgana from going with them. "How all of you are still alive is a miracle on Merlin's part, you seem to like making it as hard for him as possible to keep you alive and safe."

**As they approach the tunnels, Arthur tells Merlin he is willing to bet his life Cenrid doesn't know about the tunnels, after Merlin tells him he has an instinct that tells him this is a bad idea. As they reach the tunnel entrance, Morgana places the ring on the ground and it lets out a bright coloured smoke. Not long after they enter the tunnels they get caught by Cenrid's men.**

Everyone jumps as Gwen pulls at some cobwebs and a skeleton drops out on her.

"Least Morgana didn't enchant the skeletons to attack you." Gwaine mutters. "There were quite a lot of them down there."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "It's not funny Gwaine."

"Who's laughing?" Gwaine grins.

**After being thrown before Cenrid, they are all taken to the dungeons. Elyan and Gwen share a cell, where Elyan tells Gwen she shouldn't have come back for him. Elyan then works out Arthur and Gwen have feelings for each other. They also talk about how Elyan never wrote or came back when their father died. Elsewhere Morgana is bought to the throne room where she, Morgause and Cenrid talk about what they are going to do with Arthur. Back in the dungeons, Arthur is coming up with a plan to get them out. And their plan works. All they had to do now was get past the guard to the dungeons.**

Leon smiles. "I feel slightly better now I know Cenrid's guards are even worse than ours."

Gwaine grins. "Yeah, like Merlin would have said if the princess escaped."

Percival laughed as Merlin shoved Arthur in front of the guard. "That I believe was revenge."

"For what?" Arthur asks.

Elyan smiled. "You pushed Merlin out in front of the guards when you went to save Gwen after she was taken in Morgana's place, remember?"

Tristan smiled. "To think that guard would have killed you if not for Merlin casting a spell to make him lose his trousers."

**With Elyan and Gwen now free too, Arthur sets out to find Morgana, after he orders Merlin, Gwen and Elyan to leave. But Merlin follows Arthur knowing he cannot beat Morgause and Cenrid alone, plus Morgana would be there. Merlin quickly follows Arthur, as he makes it to the throne room. Morgause summons a column of fire and sends it towards Arthur, Merlin quickly casts a spell casing it to explode, knocking Morgause and Cenrid unconscious. **

Percival glances at Elyan. "Have you and Merlin meet before that?"

Elyan shrugs. "I don't think so, why?"

"You just seemed to act like you knew each other or had meet before that is all." Percival answers.

Leon shakes his head. "Cenrid truly is a coward."

"Least Merlin was there to save the day," Gwaine grins. "I would hate to think what would have happened if he wasn't."

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**As they escape, Morgana complains about her ankle and stops running, trying to buy some time so Morgause can catch up. But Arthur simply carries her, whilst Merlin can't help but smile in triumph. Back at their camp Gwen and Elyan are waiting, but they are attacked by two of Cenrid's men and Elyan proves he's not half bad with a sword. Back in Camelot Gwen gives Arthur two silk dresses, just in case his father asks and Arthur asks about Elyan.**

Tristan shakes his head. "How you managed to get out of that was nothing short of a miracle on Merlin's part, anyone could have seen him caste that spell…. In all my time of smuggling, I've never known Cenrid to only have a couple of scouts guarding the local area, you were incredibly lucky."

Isolde smiled. "Least you all made it out alive."

Arthur nodes. "I had always wondered why Morgause's spell exploded like that…. I don't know how I'm going to thank Merlin for all he has done…. He's just done so much."

Percival grins. "You could always make Merlin court warlock."

"God no," Arthur exclaimed. "Imagine all the trouble he would get into or course…. He cause enough trouble as it is, imagine what he could do with magic!"

Gwaine laughs. "There would never be a boring day in the castle, that's for sure."

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The following morning everyone waits for Taliesin to appear. Arthur would never admit it but he was really enjoying watching all the things Merlin had done, even if it did damage his ego…. A lot. Most of the time he and Merlin had been on the same adventures, but from Merlin's point of view it seemed more thrilling, more dangerous, and even more deadly at times.

Arthur couldn't help but smile, even though Merlin had done so many things, made so many sacrifices, he was still Merlin. He had the power to destroy everything and everyone, yet that didn't change him…. He always tried to do the right thing, even if sometimes it wasn't the right thing at all.

He did what he thought was right and not many people would have the courage to do that, especially when it endangered their own life. He was the most selfless person Arthur knew. He simply hoped Merlin would never change. Merlin had a good heart and a kind soul.

Gwaine grinned. "So have you decided to make Merlin court warlock yet?"

Arthur smiled slightly. "I have to lift the ban on magic first…. And it make take a while to convince the council, I know it will take longer for the people to except magic back."

"Why?" Isolde asks. "I would have thought the people would accept it. Many of your people remember the time before the great purge."

"Many I have no doubt do," Arthur answers. "But the people have suffers nothing but pain and terror at the hands of magic since my father outlawed it. Of course I know they help the druids if they can and seek out those with healing magic in times of great need…. But the fear is still there, it will take time until it fades completely."

Gwen nodes. "I know many who still have nightmares from the first time Morgana took of the city with Morgause, they watched friends and family die when Morgana turned on the people."

"But the servants all seemed to take Merlin's side," Tristan speaks up. "When you council called for Merlin's death, pretty much all of them sent glares at the councilman…. If looks could kill, you wouldn't have a council left."

Gaius smiled. "Merlin befriends people easily, I would be surprised if there was any servants Merlin didn't know. The same in the lower town, Merlin has helped heal many people as well as running errands for me. I believe everyone cares for Merlin, as much as they care for you, Arthur."

Arthur sighed. "But it will still take time."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The adventure starts with a women arriving in Camelot on a horse drawn cart. She unpack her things in a small house. Out of her last bag she pulls a medium sized box, setting it down on the table, she carefully opens it. Muttering a spell, a strange creature appears out the box. It jumps onto her lap and she speaks to it. Meanwhile in the court room, Uthur is informing Gaius, he fears someone is using magic to heal people. **

"Who is she?" Isolde asks. "She said they were home now, so she must have lived in the city."

Gaius smiles. "That was Alice."

"Your love." Isolde smiles.

"What was the creature?" Leon asks.

"A Manticore," Gaius answers. "It is a creature of myth…. Well was believed to be."

Arthur shakes his head. "He would use magic to save Morgana…. But would hunt it down if it was used to cure anyone else…."

**And so Gaius and Merlin set out to the tavern in the lower town to see if the keeper had been healed with magic, as they walk Merlin talks about Uthur being a hypocrite and Gaius warns him to keep his voice down. As they enter the tavern, Merlin notices a crystal charm hanging in the door way, it has the marks of the old religion on it. The inn keeper explains how he was cured, after Gaius asks. Later Gaius lies to the king, much to the surprise of Merlin, about the cure being non-magic. He claimed it was simply the use of herbs. Later Gaius tries to convince Merlin it was not the use of magic.**

Leon shakes his head. "Merlin needs to keep his voice down, if anyone had heard him speak like that he would have been killed for treason."

"People accept healing magic," Isolde smiles. "I doubt it will take them long to accept other forms of magic."

Arthur sighs. "Then it is simply the council I must convince."

"You lied to the king?" Elyan asked, shocked.

Gaius looks slightly sheepish. "Sometimes it is best that the king does not know about all things concerning magic."

Gwaine grinned. "I think trying to tell Merlin something is not magical, when it clearly is, is a task doomed to failure."

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**Later that night Merlin is woken up by a loud noise, after having fallen asleep whilst reading his magic book. Walking down into the main chamber, he watches as Gaius leaves and follows him. After following him, Merlin watches as Gaius and Alice greet each other, before being forced to run when some guards approach. Inside Alice's house, she and Gaius talk. After Gaius leaves, the Manticore appears and tells Alice, they have to use Gaius if they want to kill the king. Meanwhile Gaius is reading through old letters Alice had sent him.**

Gwen smiles at Gaius. "She was the women Merlin saved wasn't she?"

Gaius nodes. "She is."

"You two could have got in a lot of trouble walking through the lower town at that time of night." Leon mutters. "You're lucky the guards have never caught you."

Gaius sighs. "The guards who patrol the lower town follow a pattern, once you know the pattern they are easy to get past."

Elyan glances at him. "Why would you need to know it?"

"Merlin and I," Gaius answers. "Sometimes have to find and destroy creatures of magic or go into forbidden part of the castle. If no one sees us, less questions get asked and we can keep Uthur from hunting down sorcerers who may not be in the city."

"Why would the Manticore want to kill Uthur?" Gwaine asks. "If everyone believed they were creatures of myth, Uthur wouldn't have hunted them down."

**The following morning Merlin questions Gaius where he went the following night. Gaius was quite annoyed that Merlin followed him. So the two of them sit down and talk about Alice, Gaius tells him how they were to be married and when the great purge started and Alice was forced to flee. After Gaius and Merlin finish talking, Gaius goes to see Alice and they talk about their time together and what they learnt.**

Gaius smiles sadly as he watches himself and Merlin speak about Alice. He remembered crossing Alice's name off that list, he had so nearly been caught doing it.

"You were to be married?" Leon asks in shock.

Gaius nodes. "We were…. Never before in my life had I met someone like Alice."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "Once the ban on magic has been lifted, she may return to Camelot."

**Elsewhere Arthur is training with Merlin, well Arthur beats the life out a shield while Merlin hides behind it. Arthur also forces Merlin to hold a hoop above his head, while he has to try and get it with his lance. Upon returning to Gaius's chambers, Merlin is informed Alice will be staying with them. Later that night Merlin wakes up and hears voices coming from Alice's room, he watches through the doors as Alice takes some venom from the Manticore's tail.**

Gwen glares at Arthur. "You need to stop forcing Merlin to train with you, you have knights to train with."

"He was my servant," Arthur replies. "It was his job."

"No," Gwen replies. "It was the knights' job to train with you."

"There weren't any knights." Arthur replies.

Gwen simply glared at him, they both knew that was a lie.

Gaius watches as Merlin sees Alice with the Manticore, he hadn't believed Merlin, he simply thought Merlin had lied because he was jealous…. Something he knew Merlin would never do, he always put other people happiness first.

"Least Merlin knows Alice is planning something." Elyan mutters.

"Yeah," Percival replies. "But I think the Manticore is forcing her to do it."

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**The following day, whilst at the market with Gaius, Merlin asks about Alice and what type of magic she practiced. He explains to Gaius what he saw a creature with the body of a lion and a tail of a scorpion…. A Manticore. Gaius doesn't believe him and when he shows Gaius the box it was in, but the box is empty. Knowing he's missed something he goes down to the library and starts looking for the creature.**

"The creature," Gwaine asks. "Why wasn't it on the box?"

"It had to be to be summoned by magic," Gaius answers. "That's why it did not appear when Merlin opened the box."

Percival shakes his head. "That couldn't have been easy for Merlin, knowing something to be true and not being believed by the only person he can turn to."

Gaius sighs. "Sometimes love blinds you to a person true nature."

**Meanwhile Gaius and Alice are making a potion, they comment on how it is just like old times. Meanwhile Geoffrey informs Merlin the Manticore is a creature of myth and there is no hope of ever seeing one. Gaius tells Alice the remedy they are making is for the king and once Gaius turns his back, Alice adds the Manticore's poison. At the same moment Merlin walks through the door, causing Alice to drop the poison and remedy.**

"Merlin seems to be having a hard time with this one," Leon mutters. "Everyone is telling him, he imagined it and that it isn't real."

Elyan nodes. "Least he found out what it was."

Arthur breath's a sigh of relief as Alice drops the potion. "But Merlin still doesn't know she's planning on killing the king, does he?"

**Later that night, Merlin sneaks back into the library, but knocks something over, waking Geoffrey up. He uses magic to make Geoffrey go back to sleep, he then spends most of the night looking through books. At long last he finds out about the box, the following morning he goes and tells Gaius. But Gaius doesn't believe him and accuses Merlin of not wanting him to be happy, much to Merlin's shock.**

Everyone laughs as they watch Merlin use his magic to make Geoffrey go back to sleep.

Arthur shakes his head. "Really? That really worked?"

Gwaine grins. "It quite clearly worked, princess, we all watched it work."

Arthur glared at Gwaine, but before he could answer Tristan turns to Gaius, who was looking ashamed.

"You really accused Merlin of not wanting you to be happy?" Tristan asked. "He healed Morgana because he couldn't bear to see the pain it caused others!"

"I know Merlin would never do that," Gaius answers. "But I simply refused to believe Alice would practice any form of dark magic."

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**Upon returning to his chambers, Gaius and Alice talk. Alice explains that Merlin is bound to be a bit hostile, he simply needed to get used to her being around. Whilst Gaius rests, Alice makes Uthur remedy and adds the Manticore poison. Meanwhile Merlin is being forced to train with Arthur…. again. Arthur notices there is something wrong with Merlin and threatens him with the lance and hoop if he doesn't tell him. Arthur then tries to cheer him up like he does with the knights, Merlin insults him and simply thinks he mad, after all how does being punched in the arm cheer you up?**

Everyone shares worried glances as Alice makes the remedy for Uthur and adds the poison.

Isolde shakes her head. "What would you have done if say, you missed the target and hit Merlin? Or the spear went through the target?"

"I never miss," Arthur answers. "So there wouldn't be a problem."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Gaius answers. "You would be wise to remember that…. It would only take a slip of hand and it could have had deadly consequences."

"Hey!" Gwaine complains. "We're not thick."

Elyan nodes his agreement. "But to be fair, knights are supposed to be from noble families, so that doesn't quite cover me and Percival here…. So it's still up for debate."

Leon glares at Elyan. "I'm not thick."

"Yes but your head of the guards," Percival grins. "So you're not only a knight."

"Is that supposed to reassure me?" Leon asks. "The way Merlin has made our guards look, I can't say I'm proud to be the one in charge of them."

**So Gaius takes the remedy to Uthur, who drinks it after toasting to his good health. Later on Alice and Gaius sit eating but Merlin's place is empty and then the alarm bell sounds. Elsewhere Merlin is sitting in the shadows of the court yard and is startled out of his trance like state as the alarm bell sounds. Not long after Arthur is trying to wake his father, as Gaius appears, Arthur tells him what he knows. After asking Arthur to seal off the kings chambers, Merlin appears, seconds after Merlin appears Uthur opens his eyes and they are pitch black.**

Gwen jumps as Uthur suddenly opens his eyes and turns to look at Gaius and Merlin.

"What's wrong with his eyes?" She gasps.

"The Manticore's poison," Gaius explains. "The poison also allows the creature to control the person, if the person is given a small amount of it…. What the king was given was deadly."

**Gaius finds the remedy bottle in Uthur's hand and sniffs it, working out there was poison in it. He then tells Arthur he is yet to work out what has caused the kings illness. But Arthur guesses he was poisoned. As Gaius and Merlin walk away, Merlin once again tries to tell Gaius it was Alice who did this. Gaius tells Merlin that his place is by Arthur's side, so Merlin return to Arthur. As Arthur goes through a list of things Uthur has had, the blame lies solely on Gaius. Merlin knows Gaius is going to get the blame, so he tells Arthur what he knows.**

"You make the greatest sacrifices for the ones you love," Isolde smiles. "You would have given up anything for her, wouldn't you?"

Gaius nodes. "I have always loved Alice and I will never stop loving her."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "You would have let yourself be sentenced to death, wouldn't you? If Merlin hadn't said anything, you would have taken the blame."

"You do what you have to, to save the ones you love." Gaius smiled slightly.

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**Alice tries to explain what the Manticore made her do, but the Manticore's control over her stops her. Before she can continue, Arthur arrives with some knights and arrests her for high treason. Merlin tells Gaius he had no choice, he had to choose between Alice and Gaius. Later while Arthur is questioning Alice, Merlin sees the hold the Manticore has on Alice and knows he has to do something.**

"The Manticore had quite a lot of control over her, didn't it?" Gwaine mutters.

Elyan asks. "How strong was its magic?"

"Even Emrys, would have trouble fighting its control," Taliesin answers. "It was a creature of strong magic, the people of old lived in fear of it."

"So how was it destroyed?" Leon asks. "I take it, it was destroyed."

**After finding Gaius with Uthur, they agree that Alice didn't want to do this. Merlin tells Gaius about the Manticore and this time Gaius believes him. Upon returning to the physicians' quarters, they set out to find a way to defeat the Manticore. They work out if they destroy the box it uses as a grate way, it will die. And so they release the Manticore, whilst it's attacking Merlin, Gaius uses magic to destroy the box.**

Everyone watches in silence as Gaius and Merlin set out to destroy the box the Manticore uses as a portal. They all breathe a sigh of relief as the Manticore dies.

"For a moment there, Gaius," Percival mutters. "I didn't think you were going to be able to do it in time. Merlin almost got stung by that thing a couple of times."

Gaius chuckled. "For a moment I didn't think I had the strength to do it, but hearing the fear in Merlin's voice and knowing if I failed he'd die…. It gave me the strength to do it."

**And so Uthur recovers…. And sentences Alice to death. Gaius tries to change his mind, but Uthur refuses to change the sentence. Gaius speaks with Alice in her cell and the two of them day good bye to each other and they tell each other they love each other and always will. The following day Merlin is woken up by the warning bell sounding and Gaius tells him maybe one of the prisoners escaped, to which Merlin mocks how 'secure' the dungeons are.**

Gwen cries slightly as Alice told Gaius she never wants to leave him. "I hope, you and Alice can be together again soon, Gaius."

"I hope so too." Gaius replies.

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**Hey hoped you liked that, the next chapter will be up soon. Just one question, is there any topics you would like to see Freya and Merlin talk about? Any topics you want them to discuss? If so leave any ideas you have in a review :)**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997**


	37. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-six: The bride and groom.

Merlin sighed as he forced himself to his feet, it was a couple of hours before dawn and he would no doubt have to use a teleportation spell to get him to the lake in time. He quickly dressed and made his way down into the main chamber. Terrance was staying with Alice today, as he didn't know how long he was going to be in Avalon for…. He could only hope it wasn't too long, the army was already preparing for war and he couldn't risk missing the battle, he was the only one who had nearly enough power to defeat Mordred.

Finding some food at long last, Merlin sat at the table and quickly ate. He had a problem, Alator had refused to get rid of the guards and Iseldir had said he must go to the lake alone. Any magic he used would be sensed by the guards outside, so to cast any spells while close to the tower would be out of the question. Sighing Merlin got to his feet and walked over to the window, it was a long way down, and no rope would be long enough.

Merlin cursed as he walked over to the main door, peering through a crack he saw the two guards were still in places. He turned and looked around his room once more, to do a teleportation spell from here was dangerous and more than likely wouldn't work. He just had too many other magical objects in his room, which would interfere with the spell.

Allow he didn't want to marry someone he didn't love or even know the name of, he still had to go to Avalon to inform them of this. Plus while he was there he could try and form an alliance without the aid of marrying someone from Avalon. He also had to create a mortal gate way to Avalon, that had after all been the thing they wanted most and what was going to form the alliance at first.

Sitting back down, Merlin looked around the room, he had to find a way out. Be couldn't sneak past the guards, they were not as blind as the ones in Camelot or as easily fooled. He couldn't use magic either, but there had to be enough way.

Shutting his eyes, Merlin though back to the first time he had been here. He had followed Arthur on his quest with the help of Gwaine. He nearly hadn't found Arthur, there had been a lot of hidden passages and trap doors that he had only seen due to the state of ruin the tower was in at the time. He'd only been trapped by one door and that was the one to the throne room, all the others he had seen.

Secret passages! That was it, he could use the secret passages to get out of the tower! Merlin smiled and looked around his room, if he was lucky his room would have a secret passage. Merlin shook his head, if there was one he would have found it by now, it was one of the first things he did when he got the room, check for trap doors and secret passages. It looked like he was just going to have to lose the guards in the secret passages, which hopefully wouldn't be too hard.

Pulling his cloak around his shoulders, Merlin glanced around his room. Iseldir hadn't told him to bring anything with him or given him any cloths for the wedding, so hopefully that meant, they would be provided in Avalon. Picking up the staff of Emrys, Merlin walked over to the door. Now the challenge of losing the guards, without getting lost himself, would being.

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Freya sighed as she watch the nymphs fussing over the dress she would be wearing for her wedding, to the unknown king. She hadn't smiled since she heard the news of her wedding, she couldn't be happy or pleased like so many others were. She knew if she returned to the mortal world as a queen, Merlin would hear about it. She just hoped he wouldn't know it was her. She would be returning to the same world as Merlin, but she would never be able to be with him.

Freya glanced round, she couldn't run, everyone in Avalon knew her and she couldn't travel far from the lake…. She just hoped she could call the wedding off. Simply tell this king, she was on love with another and could not marry him. She just couldn't betray Merlin like that…. She hadn't even managed to tell Merlin she loved him too, before she died, she knew it would cause him too much pain.

Glancing round she looked at the dress. It was as white as freshly fallen snow and made from the finest material Freya had ever seen. A simple midnight blue sash, was tied around then waistline of the dress The arms of the dress were formed of two sleeve, the under sleeve was midnight blue and tight fitting to the wrist; as where the outer sleeve was white like the rest of the dress, but was tight fitting to the elbow before splitting off the arm and reaching the floor. It also had a hood lined with midnight blue material.

Turning away, Freya walked over to the scying bowl and watched the mortal world. She often hoped to see Merlin, but the bowl showed those who could be chosen to pass into Avalon, she was after all the lady of the lake and gate keeper to Avalon. She allowed souls worthy of a place in Avalon to cross the over.

She had only seen Merlin a couple of times, either when he had helped someone worthy of crossing into Avalon when they died or when he saved Bercilaks' wife from Uthur Pendragon, the lady of Avalon. There were a couple of other times she had seen him and it pained her, knowing she couldn't be with him.

Her mother had always told her, true love was the strongest force known to man and nature alike and no matter how hard you tried, you could not keep true love apart. Yet Freya loved Merlin with all her heart and the two of them would never be together, she was to marry another.

"Lady Freya," One of the nymphs calls. "It is nearly time for you to get ready, dawn is nearly upon us."

A second walks over to her. "You do not want to keep the Sidhe and your husband to be waiting."

"Plus it will take us a while to make you look perfect, Lady Freya," A third adds. "You have to look your best."

A forth shakes her head. "Your true love does not care for how you look."

"My true love is the one person I can never be with," Freya answers. "And I will never love another more than I love him."

"You must get ready, Lady Freya," The first speaks up. "You are not the only one who will get in trouble if you are late."

Freya glanced into the bowl one last time, for a split second, she though she saw Merlin standing on the shores of the lake, with a single strawberry in his hand.

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Merlin smiled as he walked away from the tower, it had taken him a while but he had finally lost the guards somewhere between the tenth floor and the seventh floor. At one stage Merlin had been sure he was going in circles, but he had finally made it out of the tower and through the town without anyone paying too much attention to him. Drawing nearer to the clearing not far from the tower, Merlin sighed, he hoped no one would be too offended when he refused to marry.

With a couple of words spoken in the old language, Merlin found himself in front of the lake of Avalon. He smiled sadly, this had been the place where he had burnt both Freya and Lancelot…. Both two people he had failed to save, a pale light was making its way across the sky in the east, but the sun was still yet to rise. Kneeling down beside the lake, Merlin sits and waits for the sun to rise.

Behind him birds were waking up and their morning songs soon filled the forest. Small waves lapped at the shore of the lake, adding to the sounds of nature. Merlin smiled sadly, Freya would have loved to have lived somewhere like this. There were a wildflowers growing along the edge of the woods, mountains that towered over the lake on the far side and the lake itself always seemed beautiful and peaceful no matter what the weather. The only thing missing were fields and a couple of cows.

"I'm sorry Freya." Merlin mutters. "I wish I could have saved you."

Closing his eyes, Merlin cupped his hands and muttered a spell, opening his eyes the flowed gold. Slowly Merlin lowered his hands and parted them, on the palm of his hand lay a perfect red strawberry.

"I practiced every day," Merlin explained. "Until I could finally do it."

Smiling sadly Merlin dropped the strawberry into the lake.

"It always seemed pointless making them," Merlin sighed. "What's the point of making them, if I cannot give them to you?"

Merlin falls silent for a moment.

"I guess, I hoped it would be one less way I failed," Merlin wiped the tear away as it run down his cheek. "I love you Freya and I always will."

Merlin glanced towards the east, the sun was seconds away from appearing above the horizon. Getting to his feet Merlin smiled sadly.

"I just hope you know how much I love you," He mutters. "I never got to tell how much you meant to me before you died…. I hope one day we see each other again and I can tell you…. Just how much I love you."

The sun broke over the horizon and seemed to bathe the world in a golden light, or maybe the light was from the lake, as the realm of Avalon appeared before Merlin Emrys. Taking a deep breath Merlin walked forward into the lake and found himself standing in the realm of Avalon, glancing over his shoulder he watched as the mortal world vanished from view as Avalon once again vanished from the view of mortals.

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Merlin walked along the path that lead to the Sidhe's home. The wedding was to be held in a fairy circle, Merlin just shook his head, he and always been told to step inside one was bad luck. But then and again this was Avalon, the rules here were bound to be different.

Glancing around Merlin watched the landscape around him, Avalon was beautiful. It wasn't that different to the mortal realm, the plants looked the same, but there were some Merlin had never seen before. Everything was brighter, that was the only way to explain it. The colours were brighter and more vibrant.

You could see the magic in the air. Swirls of golden and silver mist seemed to hover around objects and people, or flow freely in the air. Merlin had noticed a lot of gold was circling around him and his staff, it glowed brightly and seemed to radiate power. Merlin watched the magic around him, as it danced in its strange and carefree patterns, it was calming and beautiful.

Creature of Avalon watched him as he passed, some Merlin had heard of before or seen in books. But there were others he had never seen before, or even heard of. There were a wide range of creatures here from both the Seelie court and Unseelie court, you could say Merlin was highly surprised to say the least. The two courts were believed to have a great dislike of each other and rarely mixed, after all the Seelie court didn't mind humans as where the Unseelie court had a great dislike of humans.

Finally Merlin entered the Sidhe's home, walking he finally reached a small clearing with a circle of standing stones in the middle. Glancing round, Merlin spotted some Sidhe flying towards him. Here in Avalon they were bigger than they appeared in the human realm, but were still a lot shorter than Merlin.

"Merlin Emrys," A Sidhe elder greets him. "Follow us if you will, you need to be prepared for the wedding."

"About that-"

"Please refine from declining this offer of marriage," The second Sidhe speaks. "Once you and your bride have met, you may refuse."

Merlin nodes. "Can I at least know the name of my bride?"

"All will be revelled in due course." The first Sidhe answers.

Merlin shakes his head. "You are even worse than Kilgharrah, when it comes to giving a straight answer."

"The answer was perfectly straight forward," The second Sidhe answer. "It was simply not the answer you wanted."

Merlin just sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

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Merlin stood in black and midnight blue, druid styled wedding robes. He sighed, he really hoped whoever he was to marry didn't take his refusal to marry badly. If he had to he would explain about Freya, but talking about her caused a lot of pain.

Glancing round Merlin noticed the fairy circle, it was a circle of reddish coloured mushrooms, he was sure Gaius had sent him to pick some before, but for the life of him couldn't remember what they were called. All he knew was they were often used in a mixture to cure heart pains, Merlin just shook his head.

Turning his attention away from the fairy circle, Merlin watched as the Sidhe elder who was to perform the hand fasting ceremony arrived. About from the Sidhe and himself, there were no other beings here. Least that would be less people to watch, the possible failed alliance between Avalon and the mortal realm.

Sighing Merlin turned and looked at the trees surrounding the clearing, he could just make out the tree spirits and nymphs. There weren't so alone after all. Turning back to face the fairy circle, Merlin watched as his magic danced around him, the swirling patterns of golden mist, glittered in the light. Merlin smiled magic was beautiful, if only those in the mortal realm could see it in such a pure and uninfluenced state.

Through the trees on the opposite side of the clearing Merlin could make out a small group of people making their way towards him. This was no doubt the arrival of his bride. Taking a deep breath Merlin watched as they approached. A group of five people, four of whom were quite clearly water nymphs.

The women Merlin guessed to be the bride, was dressed in a white and midnight blue dress, but her face was hidden by a veil and she was surrounded by a cloud of silver magic. Around her the nymphs were dressed in plain blue and green clothing, making the bride stand out even more. Finally the group came to a stop on the opposite side of the fairy circle.

"You may remove your veil, my lady." One of the nymph states.

As the women reaches up and pulls the veil from over her face, Merlin's heart stops beating for a couple of seconds.

"Freya." He finally managed to gasp.

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Freya stood dressed in her white and midnight blue wedding dress, around her the nymphs were busy. Some were sorting her hair, while others were making sure the dress was perfect and not damaged in any way. Her hair had been pulled back and had small white flowers littered through it. At last a nymph comes forward with a veil, which matched her dress. Placing it on Freya's head, the nymphs make sure it falls over her head and shoulders perfectly.

"You look beautiful, Lady Freya." The first nymph smiles.

Freya glanced towards the nymph who had spoken, but could barley see her through the veil. "How am I supposed to walk in this? I can barely see through it!"

A second nymph smiled slightly. "Who you are must remain a secret until you reach where the wedding is held, Lady Freya, the Sidhe have ordered it."

"As for walking," A third nymph answers. "We will guide you."

"I hope one day I will see you again Merlin, but I prey it is only in death," Freya whispered. "I could not bear to see you whilst I will be married to another."

"We better get going," A forth nymph speaks. "We do not want to be late."

And so Freya and the four nymphs made their way through the forest, toward the fairy circle. As they drew closer, the nymphs started to talk.

"I can't believe the Sidhe elder who is conducting the ceremony, will be the only one present, beside the bride and groom." The first nymph speaks.

"I know," the third answers. "You would have thought this would be the biggest celebration in Avalon. This wedding is forging an alliance with the mortal word."

The second nymph nodes. "Maybe the groom asked for the ceremony to be performed this way…. I mean who could refuse the request of a king."

"Do you know who he is the king of?" The forth nymph asks.

"Quite!" The first nymph hisses. "We are nearly there."

After a couple more steps, Freya senses they have steeped out into a clearing.

"You may remove your veil, my Lady." The first nymph states.

Reaching up Freya pulls the veil from her head and hands it to the nymphs, who take it quickly.

"Freya." A shocked voice gasps, getting her attention.

She knew that voice and she would never forget it, looking up, her gaze met the one person she thought she would never be able to be with.

"Merlin."

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**Hey, I don't know if they believed in the Seelie court and the Unseelie court, but in most British folklore it states that there are two different courts in the fairy realm. Unseelie were mostly evil creatures, which wished harm to humans and the Seelie court were mostly good creatures, but were known for playing pranks on humans, but never causing harm. Hope you liked that,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	38. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-seven: The eye of the phoenix.

Taliesin appeared out of thin air in the middle of the crystal caves, a small smile visible on his lips. Glancing round he spots Gaius and quickly makes his way over.

"Gaius." He greets.

"Taliesin." Gaius replies.

"I have to inform you that, Merlin Emrys has married."

"Married?" Gaius asks.

Elyan who wasn't sitting far from them edges slightly closer to listen in on their conversation.

"Yes, Merlin Emrys has married the lady of the lake." Taliesin informs Gaius. "There marriage has formed an alliance between this realm and Avalon."

"So it was a marriage of alliance?" Gaius asks.

"Yes."

Elyan eyes widen slightly and he quickly got up and moved over to where Arthur and Gwen were sitting.

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin would never marry someone he does not love."

Taliesin smiles. "It was a marriage of alliance and love."

"But Merlin does not know anyone in Avalon."

"The lady of the lake goes by another name." Taliesin smiles.

Gaius thinks for a moment. "Freya?"

Taliesin nodes. "When Freya died her soul was bound to the lake, making her a being of Avalon and the gatekeeper of Avalon."

"But she is dead." Gaius mutters.

"The Sidhe know a strong and ancient magic," Taliesin replies. "There magic does not have to bow to the rules we must follow."

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Elyan sat down beside Gwen, who had just been given a flower by Arthur, who had earlier sneaked out of the caves to get it. Gwaine, Leon and Percival soon joined them.

"I just heard Taliesin speaking with Gaius," Elyan explained. "Merlin has married the lady of the lake to form an alliance between this realm and Avalon."

"What!?" Everyone exclaimed, getting the attention of Isolde and Tristan, who quickly make their way over.

"Merlin would never do that!" Arthur mutters. "He would only marry for love."

Gwen nodes her agreement. "Merlin thought it was madness, when Arthur was going to marry to form a stronger alliance with king Godwin and his kingdom."

"Who did he marry?" Isolde asks.

"The lady of the lake." Elyan states.

"The lady of the lake," Tristan sharing a look with Isolde. "We have heard stories about her."

"What did they say?" Leon asks.

"She is the gatekeeper of Avalon," Isolde answers. "And the guardian of the sword Excalibur."

"Seer's have foreseen the marriage of Emrys and the lady of the lake for many years," Tristan adds. "Their wedding was of great importance to the golden age of Albion."

Isolde nodes. "Many stories and legends say that Emrys and the lady of the lake were lovers. I guess that is true being they have married."

Elyan shakes his head. "Taliesin said it was a marriage for alliance, not a marriage of love."

Isolde smiles. "A marriage can be of love and alliance."

Before anyone can answer Taliesin speaks up.

"We much watch the next adventure, you still have a lot to see today…. We cannot waste time speaking of matters that do not affect what we are about to watch."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The scene shows Arthur's room lit by candles. Arthur washes his face in a basin filled with water as Merlin prepares his cloths. After Merlin has prepared Arthur, they stand outside the throne room, before Arthur enters and kneels in the middle of the hall. Merlin watches him through the gap, Gwen appears and joins him, after joking around Merlin explains what Arthur is doing. He is waiting for a vision, which will show him a quest he must go on if he is to prove he is worthy of the throne.**

"I'll never get your traditions," Gwaine mutters. "Because Gwen is right, how does crouching on your knees all night help."

Arthur glanced at Gwaine. "I had to wait until a vision came it me."

"So why sit on your knees all night? Why not just sit in a chair and wait?" Gwaine asks.

"Because Gwaine it is tradition." Arthur answers.

"I bet you thought about Gwen though." Percival jokes.

"I had to wait for a vision to come to me," Arthur answers. "There wasn't a lot else to think about."

"So you did think about Gwen." Elyan teases.

**The following day, Merlin is awoken by Uthur and the council as they pass, more or less over him, as they make their way into the hall. After entering the hall, Uthur asks Arthur what quest has been shown to him. To which Arthur answers there is only one path he can take, he must enter the realm of the fisher king and find the golden trident, spoken about in the legends of the fallen kings. Uthur reminds him that if he is to show he is worthy of the throne he must complete the quest alone and unaided, to which Arthur answers he does.**

"I though only those who had magic could have vision." Percival mutters.

Gaius sighs. "Those with magic of high power often do have visions…. But the vision Arthur was shown was slightly different. It was shown to him by the spirits of kings past."

"I didn't see any ghosts." Arthur speaks up.

"Just because you did not see them, does not mean there were not there." Gaius answers. "Only those of strong magic can see the dead that travel into this realm."

"So Merlin could have seen them?" Gwaine asks.

"He could have." Gaius nodes.

Tristan glanced at Arthur. "Did you have to choose that quest? Hundreds have tried it and failed in the past."

"I did not choose it," Arthur replies. "It was shown to me in a vision."

Gwaine bursts out laughing as Uthur said the quest must be completed alone and unaided.

"Alone and unaided, my arse, Princess." Gwaine laughs.

"Don't say a word, Gwaine." Arthur warns.

"What does it matter? Everyone going to see what happened anyway."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

"What happened?" Leon asks, glancing between the two of them.

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**Later whilst Gaius and Merlin eat, Merlin asks who the fisher king was. Gaius tells him, he was a sorcerer who lived many hundreds of years ago. Legend has it, he was wounded in battle, but the wound did not heal and the infection spread through his body and land, reducing the once rich and powerful land to nothing more than a waste land. Merlin asks why Uthur was so worried and Gaius tells him some believe the fisher king still lives, kept from death by his magic. And that the lands are called the perilous lands, few who travel there live to tell the tale.**

"Was he really a sorcerer?" Elyan asked. "The stories I have heard simply said he was a king cursed by a sorcerer."

Gaius nodes. "He was a sorcerer."

"The legend?" Percival asks. "Is it true? Is the fisher king still alive?"

"When courage, magic and strength entered the realm of the fisher king, he was alive." Taliesin answers. "But magic granted the fisher king his finally wish, the gift of death."

"Courage, magic and strength?" Leon asked. "Are they people?"

"You will see." Taliesin answers.

Percival shakes his head. "No one who enters the perilous lands alone and unaided make it out alive."

"Arthur did." Elyan points out.

"Then he was lucky." Percival mutters. "Even large groups of people do not make it out alive."

**Later that day, whist Merlin is sorting Arthur's bed and hiccupping, much to Arthur's annoyance. As Arthur looks through the maps he has of the perilous lands, Merlin keeps hiccupping. Merlin walks over and picks up some of the maps, none of them are the same. Arthur informs him that it is because hardly anyone goes to the perilous lands. Merlin asks him why he couldn't have chosen anything a bit easier, to which Arthur answer going to get some herbs from the lower town wouldn't cut it. Merlin offers to go with him, but the quest must be done alone and unaided. So Merlin leaves to let Arthur prepare, but not before hiccupping one last time.**

"Why did you even bother looking at maps?" Gwaine asks. "No one else used them."

Arthur glanced at Gwaine. "I needed to know how to get there…. Plus some of the maps showed where the tower was."

Gwaine smiles. "You would have better luck now, though, the perilous lands are not so perilous anymore."

Percival glanced at Gwaine. "What do you mean?"

"Merlin Emrys used his magic to restore the perilous lands," Taliesin answers. "It is now one of the only kingdoms in Albion where magic is practiced freely."

Leon glanced at Arthur as Merlin offered to go with him. "Magic…."

"What did you say?" Elyan asks. "I didn't quite hear you."

"Nothing," Leon mutters. "Just thinking out loud, that was all."

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**Elsewhere in the lower town, Gwen and Morgana are visiting the market. Gwen picks up a piece of orange material and uses it as a scarf covering her head and shoulder. Morgana smiles at her and looks at a piece of purple cloth, suddenly an old women grabs her wrist and asks for a couple of minutes to talk. Realising it is her sister, Morgause and she quickly walks away with her. But Gwen notices and calls after her, Morgana tells her she will only be a moment. Once away from the market Morgause asks what quest Arthur had chosen and Morgana tells her. Morgause then gives her a bracelet and tells her what to do with it. As Morgause passes Gwen, Gwen sees her true form in a mirror and when she turns to look all she sees is an old women. Morgana tells her the old women had no money to feed her family and she felt duty bound to help her.**

"An aging spell, they are risky and powerful spells to use," Gaius mutters. "I am surprised she had the strength to keep it up for so long."

"Why not use a glamour?" Isolde asked.

"It would have used too much magic…. To have to enchant the eye of everyone at the market would have been difficult and would have required a lot more magic."

Percival shakes his head. "That bracelet cannot be good."

Elyan nodes. "It's going to kill Arthur isn't it?"

"So that's the reason Merlin needed my help." Gwaine mutters. "I always did wonder."

Leon glanced at Gwaine. "Strength of courage?"

"What?" Gwaine asks.

"Nothing." Leon mutters.

"That bracelet," Tristan asks. "It was an eye of the phoenix, wasn't it?"

Gaius nodes. "It was but how did you know?"

"Because we once had to smuggle one into Cenrid's kingdom." Isolde answers.

**Later in the castle, Gwen waits outside Arthur room. Once he appears the two of them talk, Gwen wishes Arthur didn't have to go. Arthur gives Gwen a good bye kiss and quickly leaves. Down in the court yard, Uthur, Morgana and the knights gather on the steps to see Arthur off. Morgana and Uthur speak and Uthur tells her Arthur is sole heir to the throne, to which Morgana tells him she is sure a Pendragon will rule over Camelot for a long time to come. Merlin prepares Arthur horse and wishes him luck. But as Arthur is about to leave Merlin notices the bracelet, his attention is drawn to it by the power magic. Arthur tells him it was gift from Morgana before ridding off, Merlin watches him go, knowing Morgana has planned something and whatever it is, it can't be good.**

Gwen smiles at Arthur. "I am glad you made it back."

"As am I." Arthur smiles.

Isolde smiles as she watches Arthur kiss Gwen. "Love is a beautiful thing."

Leon shivers slightly as Morgana tells Uthur a Pendragon will rule over Camelot for a long time to come. "The people will never bow down to her."

Elyan nodes his agreement. "They will always want Arthur to be their king."

"Good thing Merlin noticed the bracelet." Percival mutters. "I hate to think want would have happened if he didn't."

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**Back in Gaius's chambers, Merlin starts looking through books for the bracelet. Gaius asks him if it was jewel, but Merlin tells him it was brighter than a jewel and that he could sense the magic coming from it. Merlin tells Gaius that it came from Morgana, so therefore it can only mean one thing, Arthur is in danger…. Hours later Merlin and Gaius are still looking, Gaius tells Merlin they have looked through every stone possible. But then Gaius remembers the eye of the phoenix. Showing Merlin a picture of it, Merlin conforms that's what it is. Gaius tells him what it is and if it is worn for too long, the person wearing it will die. Merlin knows he has to go after Arthur and Gaius warns him not to go alone. And so Merlin sets out to find help and track Arthur down before the eye of the phoenix does its job.**

"Least Gaius found the right book." Gwaine mutters.

Gwen nodes. "I wish more of us had known about Morgana…. We could have helped."

Gaius smiles. "Anyone who knew about Morgana, would also have to know about Merlin and all did to stop her. But only magic could be used to stop her, so if too many questions were asked Merlin could have been found out and killed... That was a risk Merlin and I were not willing to take."

Elyan shakes his head. "So who did he ask for help? I mean so far its only Lancelot who knows about Merlin's magic and I doubt he could have found Lancelot in time."

"He asked Gwaine," Leon answer. "Courage, magic and strength."

Gwaine grinned and Arthur just glared at Leon.

**Later that night, Morgana casts a spell and the eye of the phoenix starts to draw energy from Arthur. After the spell is complete, Gwen appears asking Morgana if there is anything else she needed, but is told to leave. After asking if something was burning, Gwen is yelled at by Morgana and quickly leaves. Outside the door she stops for a moment, glances back before continuing on her way.**

Gwen smiled sadly. "That's when I was sure Morgana was no longer the person we once knew…. The old Morgana would never have yelled at me like that."

"The Morgana we knew," Arthur mutters taking her hand. "We never have used a gift like magic, for such evil and selfish reasons."

"A gift?" Tristan asks. "Since when does the son of Uthur Pendragon call having magic a gift?"

Arthur smiled slightly. "Since I have seen all the good it has done for me and my kingdom. Without magic I would be dead, without magic the kingdom would have fallen."

"But without magic, there would never have been anything to save the kingdom from." Tristan points out.

Arthur sighs. "I have come to believe magic is like tool, you chose what it is used for. It is not magic that corrupts, it is power."

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**The following day in the woods, Arthur is attacked by two bandits, but struggles to fight them off. And the eye of the phoenix continues to drain a lot of his energy. After killing both bandits, Arthur lies on the floor whilst he gets his breath back. Elsewhere in the forest, Merlin reaches the top of a hill overlooking a small town. After entering the town and going to the tavern, Merlin ducks out the way of a flying object and closes the door. After seeing Gwaine thrown along a table they greet each other before running. They crash through the market before hiding behind a stool for a moment, before being seen again. As they run up some steps and along a wall, Merlin explains why he needs Gwaine's help. After the two of them jumps from the wall into a pile of hay, the quickly flee into the woods.**

"That bracelet really is draining your energy fast, Arthur." Leon mutters. "I'm surprised Merlin and Gwaine reached you in time."

Arthur sighs. "I had wondered why I felt so tied, weak and dizzy whilst on that quest."

"Least you managed to kill both bandits without getting injured." Elyan mutters.

Percival grins and turns to Gwaine. "Is that how you and Merlin always meet? In the middle of a bar fight!"

Gwaine smiles. "The third time we meet we had both been captured by some men in Cenrid's kingdom, whilst Arthur was looking for the cup of life."

Arthur shakes his head. "You and Merlin had way to much fun doing that."

Gwaine grins. "What can I say, Merlin and I know how to adventure in style."

"No," Arthur answers. "You both know how to try and get yourselves killed."

Gwaine rolls his eyes. "They would never have caught us."

"What if the hay pile hadn't been there?" Elyan asks.

"Merlin could have used magic or something." Gwaine grins. "Or I could have fought them, Morgana made me battle her men with a wooden sword, whilst I was half staved and I still won."

Arthur just shakes his head.

**Arthur continues on his quest and reaches the bridge to the perilous lands where he is greeted by Grettir, who appears out of the shadows of the bridge. He asks Arthur who it is, who wished to cross his bridge and Arthur tells him he is a knight on a quest to find the golden trident of the fisher king. And Grettir calls him Courage, to which Arthur tells him, no he's prince Arthur of Camelot. Before Grettir lets Arthur pass he gives him some advice, to complete this quest, apart from courage, there were two more things he needed to complete this quest. Magic and strength. As Arthur passes Grettir grabs his arm and tells him he has a nice bracelet. Arthur tells him it was gift given to him by a friend how wished him good luck and hoped it would keep him safe, Grettir just laughed.**

Gwaine glared at Grettir, he still hadn't forgiven him for turning his sword into a flower.

"Grettir," Gaius mutters. "The keeper of the bridge."

"Why does the bridge need a keeper?" Elyan asks. "It only a bridge."

"It is the safest way to enter the perilous lands," Taliesin answers. "To cross the border anywhere else, would be dangerous and unsafe. So therefore the bridge must be guarded and kept in good condition."

"It didn't look in good condition." Percival mutters.

Leon turns to look at Arthur. "You were courage, so Gwaine you must have been strength…. That why neither of you really won the Mêlée, it was the ultimate test of strength and courage."

Gwaine grins. "Yet both of us wouldn't stand a chance against magic."

Arthur sighed. "It seems like everyone but I, knew what that bracelet was doing…. Why didn't Grettir just tell me what it was doing?"

"Would you have believed him?" Percival asks.

Arthur shakes his head.

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**As they make their way toward the perilous lands, Merlin asks Gwaine why the men at the tavern were so angry at him, before Gwaine asks Merlin how he found him and they joke about going in every tavern. Elsewhere in the perilous lands Arthur is making his way through the waste land, with the eye of the phoenix still drawing away his energy. Back in Camelot Gwen is helping Morgana and Morgana gives Gwen the night off as a way of saying sorry for yelling at her the night before.**

"You always seem to be in trouble when it comes to taverns, Gwaine." Leon mutters.

Gwaine grins. "What can I say, it must be a gift."

Elyan shakes his head. "You have only survived in Camelot for this long, because Merlin is always stepping in to help you or drag you back to your room at night."

"Like Merlin needs anymore work," Percival sighs. "He was Arthur's servant, secret protector and the person who helped druids and people wrongful accused escape the dungeons."

Gwaine smiles. "He's my best friend."

Gaius sighs. "You are lucky you are stronger than most, Arthur, many would have been completely drained of energy by then. It made it worse that you were traveling through a harsh and unforgiving land."

Arthur glanced at the screen. "What happened to the bracelet, when I returned to Camelot I no longer had it and I never saw Merlin with it."

Gaius smiled sadly. "It granted the final wish of a once great and powerful man."

Leon turns to Gwen. "I take it she gave you the night off so you would stop asking questions."

Gwen nodes. "I think she did and also, I think she did sort of care about my feelings. When she became queen she told me she was glad she still had me as a friend."

**Merlin and Gwaine reach the hill overlooking the perilous lands where Merlin jokes that Gwaine has never been there because there are no taverns. Back in Camelot, Morgana returns to her room, after calling for Gwen but getting no answer she repeats the spell she did the night before, unaware that Gwen was watching her from behind a screen. Back in the perilous lands Arthur is struggling as the eye of the phoenix continues to draw energy from him. After forcing himself to keep going, Arthur falls into a large pit filled with water and mud, as he tries to escape the eye of the phoenix draws even more energy and Arthur passes out.**

Arthur glances at Gwaine. "You and Merlin are the only two people I know who can joke at the darkest of times."

Gwaine smiles. "It is good to keep the mood light in dark times, not many who enter the perilous lands return and we both knew that."

Isolde turns to Gwen. "You were lucky Morgana didn't find you."

Gwen smiled slightly. "I knew something was going on and I needed to find out what…. That was the best way."

"Who did you tell?" Tristan asks. "You couldn't have gone to Uthur or Arthur."

Gwen smiled. "I went to the only person I knew could help and tell me I wasn't seeing things."

"How dignified, Princess," Gwaine laughs. "Falling into a pit of mud is always a good idea."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

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**After traveling some more they reach the bridge to the perilous lands. Gwaine signals for Merlin to wait while he goes round to check the area is safe, but Merlin just walks forward. Grettir greets him as magic and Merlin glances round to see if Gwaine heard. He also tells Merlin that this is his quest, not Arthur's. Gwaine appears behind Merlin and draws his sword as Grettir greets him as strength and Gwaine gets his sword turned into a bunch of flowers. Grettir tells Merlin as he crosses the bridge that the fisher king has waited many years for this day and not to deny him what he wishes.**

Percival glances at Arthur. "You must have known Merlin and Gwaine followed you, so why did you never work out all three of you made up courage, magic and strength?"

"I had more important things to worry about," Arthur answers. "Plus at the time, I would never have believed someone would use magic to help me."

"Why was it Merlin's quest?" Elyan asks. "As well as Arthur's."

"Being king of the druids is slightly different to be king of a kingdom," Taliesin answer. "But they still have to prove they are worthy…. Merlin has proven himself worthy through his deeds, but he still needed to go on a quest, to claim what the fisher king had given him."

"What did the fisher king give him?" Leon asked.

"Help." Taliesin answers. "A light to guide him when all seemed lost."

**Back in the mud pit Arthur regains consciousness and uses his sword to hook a vine and pull himself free of the mud. Once he is free he lies on the ground, in an attempt to regain some of his energy. Later that night elsewhere in the perilous lands, Gwaine and Merlin are sitting around a camp fire. Suddenly there is a shriek of a beast in the distance, Merlin asked what it was and Gwaine tells him it was a pheasant, a really large one. Merlin tells Gwaine he can turn back if he wants, Gwaine laughs and tells him he's not scared of pheasants. After Merlin asks him why he wanted to do this, Gwaine tells him it was to help a friend, Merlin was his best, first and only friend. After hearing some more shrieking they agreed it sound like three pheasant…. At least.**

"I bet Merlin and fun cleaning that armour when you returned to Camelot." Elyan mutters. "It must have taken him ages."

"He could have just used magic," Percival points out. "He's used it for a lot of his chores."

Leon shakes his head. "I hope Gwaine and Merlin catch up with Arthur soon…. I don't think he'll last much longer."

Tristan glances at Gwaine. "Pheasants?"

Gwaine nodes. "Really big ones."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "How you and Merlin survive anything is a miracle."

Gwaine grins. "Merlin informed me that the pheasant problem has been taken care of and the lands are now perfectly safe from large pheasants."

Arthur just shakes his head. "Unbelievable."

Percival glances at Gwaine. "Was Merlin really your only friend?"

Gwaine nodes. "He was…. When you travel from town to town, kingdom to kingdom, you don't make a lot of friends…. You only seem to find more and more enemies."

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**Back in Camelot Gwen has left Morgana's chamber and is hammering on Gaius door, who quickly opens it. After finding a fearful and distraught Gwen on his door step, he lets her in and Gwen tells him: she didn't know who else to talk too. Gwen explains to Gaius what she saw and knows Morgana is practicing magic. Gaius tells her all may not be what it seems, but Gwen knows what she saw. She tells him she fears Morgana no longer means well to any of them, anymore. Gaius tells her that he fears she is right.**

Isolde glanced at Gwen. "It must have been hard to know a friend could change so much."

"Morgana was always so kind," Gwen nodes. "At first I refused to believe it…. I didn't fear the magic, but when she lit that fire, you could sense the darkness in the air."

Leon glanced at Gaius. "Why did you not tell Gwen what you knew?"

"Because to do so," Gaius answers. "Would have meant explaining all Merlin had done to stop her, we could not risk anyone knowing about Merlin's magic…. He was the only one who could stop Morgana."

**The following morning back in the perilous lands, Arthur has just woken up after spending the night asleep on the ground close to the mud pit. He slowly gets to his feet and continues on his way, he finally comes to some boulder and claims up them, reaching the top of a land cliff, he spies upon the tower before him. But luck is not on Arthur's side, two Wyvern's are circling around the tower and spot him. Not far behind him, Gwaine and Merlin have just reached the top of the land cliff and watch as Arthur battles the Wyvern's on the plain before the tower. As Arthur battles the Wyvern's the eye of the phoenix continues to drain his energy.**

"Wyvern's." Percival mutters, tracing the scar he had on his arm, from the scratch he had got at the isle of the blessed.

Elyan glanced at Arthur. "You were lucky you fought them off, the bracelet had brained a lot of your energy."

"If you had passed out there," Leon mutters. "Merlin and Gwaine wouldn't have been able to save you."

Tristan nodes. "Morgana knew if Arthur never returned questions wouldn't be asked, if his body was ever found, it would look like an accident and Arthur had simply fallen victim to his quest."

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**Arthur escapes into the tower, just as Merlin and Gwaine approach it. Gwaine tells Merlin they are Wyvern's, cousins of the dragons and creatures of magic, so to be careful. As Arthur is once again spotted by the Wyvern's. Merlin and Gwaine are taking it in turns to lift the gate and crawl under it, as soon as they are through they split up and try to find Arthur. Arthur seals a door before collapsing to the floor as a Wyvern tries to break through, the eye of the phoenix had drained almost all of his energy. Meanwhile Merlin hears the cries of the Wyvern and follows the sound, Gwaine elsewhere is running through passages calling Arthur's name. The Wyvern crashes through the door seconds after Arthur passes out. Merlin jumps between Arthur and the Wyvern's commanding them to leave in the language of the dragons. **

"Merlin can control Wyvern's?" Leon asked shocked.

Gaius nodes. "Like Gwaine said they are cousins of the dragons, as a dragon lord Merlin can control any creature from the dragon family."

"What about sea serpents?" Percival asks.

"They are sea dragons, so yes he can control them," Gaius answers. "But I do not know of there are many sea serpents left."

"Merlin didn't know he could do that, did he?" Isolde asks.

"I fear he didn't," Gaius answers. "I think he simply relied on his instincts in that case."

**Merlin quickly removes the bracelet from Arthur's wrist and Arthur wakes up and is more than annoyed to see Merlin. Suddenly a third Wyvern appears, but Gwaine kills it. Arthur gets more annoyed and said he wouldn't be surprised if Gwen and Morgana had come along too. Merlin and Gwaine just share a look as Arthur walks off on his own. Merlin asks Arthur if he wants help or if he would rather do this alone. Arthur simply helps Merlin's name, Gwaine rolls his eyes and Merlin grins. As they make their way through the tower Merlin asks Arthur if he knows where the golden trident is or if there is any clues, to which Arthur answers it's a quest not a treasure hunt, but it sort of was a treasure hunt.**

"You were luck there," Percival mutters. "You would have died, if Merlin had done nothing."

Leon shakes his head. "I guess it was fair, in a way, that Arthur had help. Most princes don't go on quests with cursed bracelets."

Arthur shakes his head. "I was supposed to do it alone."

"A thank you, would have been nice." Elyan sighs. "Merlin risked a lot following you on that quest."

"Merlin took the bracelet," Gwen exclaimed. "Wouldn't in drain his energy?"

Taliesin shakes his head. "Merlin did not wear the bracelet, it only has an effect on the person if they are wearing it. So Merlin was perfectly safe."

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**As they continue through the castle, Arthur and Gwaine pass a room, but Merlin stops and peers through the doorway. Calling Arthur and Gwaine back, telling them it looked like a throne room. Stepping into the room, Merlin triggers a trap door, thankfully Gwaine pushes Merlin forward into the room. Merlin was now trapped in the room, whilst Arthur and Gwaine were outside it. Both Arthur and Gwaine call Merlin's name, but the stone door is too thick to hear through. Gwaine starts looking for a way to open the door…. Arthur pulls a brick out the wall, knowing there is a way to open the door behind it. Hundreds of bugs crawl out the gap, Gwaine just smirks and tells Arthur to do it, it was his quest after all.**

Leon shakes his head. "You should have been more careful, old towers and castles are full of traps."

Percival nodes. "Good thing Gwaine pushed Merlin out the way."

"Most traps trigger a lot faster than that," Gwaine mutters. "If it wasn't for the fact the tower was so old and ruined, it would have been too fast for me to have pushed Merlin out the way."

Gwen smiled as she watched both Gwaine and Arthur panic as they called Merlin's name through the stone trap door. "It good to see you both care so much."

Gwaine smiles. "Merlin will always be one of my closest friends."

"And mine." Arthur adds.

Gwen smiled. "But does he know that?"

**Meanwhile Merlin calls Gwaine and Arthur's names through the door, but can hear no replies. Knowing the door is too thick to be heard through, Merlin turns and walks further into the room. As he approaches the throne a faint and weak sounding voice greets him, causing him to jump slightly. Merlin circles around the throne to find the fisher king, covered in cobwebs and holding the golden trident in one hand. Merlin bows his head slightly and the fisher king turns to look at him. Merlin hears a noise from the door, the fisher king tells him it is courage and strength and without their help he would not be here. Merlin asks the fisher king what it is he wants and the fisher king tells him he wants an end to his suffering…. He wants to die. **

"He called my name first!" Gwaine grins.

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "And why is that important?"

Gwaine smiles. "No need to snap, princess…. Anyone would think you were jealous."

"I am not jealous!"

"Of course not."

Everyone else just rolls their eyes.

"The fisher king," Tristan mutters. "Not many have seen him."

Gaius watches as Merlin talks with him. "Merlin was given a great honour to speak with the him…. His council was always wise."

Isolde glanced at the image of the fisher king. "It must have been hard to have lived for so long, alone and in pain."

"Many seek immortality, an endless life to many is a gift and a great power." Taliesin speaks up. "But to those who are immortal, it is a curse. To watch all those you care about die and to never join them in the afterlife is the greatest suffering of all."

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**The fisher king tells Merlin the time of the once and future king is dawning and now his time can finally come to an end. The fisher king then tells Merlin this is not Arthur's quest, it is his. Arthur thinks the prize is the golden trident and drops the golden trident to the ground. When really the prize is something far greater: water from the lake of Avalon. The fisher king gives Merlin the water, telling him he has kept in safe all these years, waiting for the right person to claim it and that person was Merlin Emrys. He warns Merlin that Albion's time of great need is near and that he must be strong in that dark hour, for Merlin alone can save her. His powers are great but he needs help and that is what the fisher king was giving him. As Merlin takes the water the fisher king informs him, when all seems lost, this will guide the way.**

"The time of the once and future king," Arthur mutters. "A golden age of peace."

Taliesin smiles. "The golden age is almost upon us, you choices make once you return to Camelot will shape the future of Albion for all of time."

"Albion's time of need," Elyan mutters. "Did the fisher king know about the immortal army?"

"It was possible," Gaius answers. "Merlin alone was the only one who could destroy them and the water helped him. But no future is set on stone, there were other forces which could have thrown the kingdom into darkness."

**The fisher king asks for something in return, at first Merlin thinks he has nothing to give, but then he works out he has the eye of the phoenix bracelet. The fisher king gets to his feet and stands before his throne, Merlin kneels down as the fisher king holds out his wrist. Taking the bracelet, Merlin places it on the fisher kings wrist. The bracelet drains the last of the fisher kings magic, the magic that was stopping him from dying. Merlin shield his face as the fisher king disappears in a whirlwind, his final thank you echoing around the room. Seconds later the door opens and Merlin quickly gets to his feet, where Arthur greets him and Gwaine pulls him into a one armed hug. Arthur picks up the golden trident and they can finally leave.**

Everyone smiles sadly as the fisher king finally gets his wish of death.

"Merlin has a kind heart," Percival mutters. "That must have been hard for him."

Leon nodes. "But he knew it was what the fisher king wanted."

"He even thanked Merlin," Elyan adds. "He helped someone who had suffered for years to finally find peace."

**And so they return to Camelot, but Gwaine has to leave them at the border, he after all banished from Camelot. Merlin promises not to tell anyone that Arthur had help and Arthur rides ahead to give his father the golden trident while Merlin stays behind to pick some herbs, just in case he needed proof as to what he was doing over the last couple of days. Morgana who was watching from her window sees Arthur arrive and drops her cup of water to the floor. Gwen quickly makes her way over and sees Arthur on the court yard below, much to her relief. Later Uthur congratulates Arthur and Morgana is not in the slightest bit pleased. Later that night Merlin shows Gaius the water the fisher king had given him. Merlin asks Gaius if he believed the fisher kings warning, to which Gaius answer they already know of one traitor within Camelot's walls and it would be foolish to ignore his words.**

Isolde smiles as she watches Morgana shock of seeing Arthur return alive and well. "She couldn't have sounded less happy if she tried."

Gwen sighs. "I was so relieved Arthur returned, but Morgana…. She was so angry…. From that moment I knew for sure she was using magic against us."

"Morgana let her hate and fear change her," Gaius speaks. "It turned he heart cold."

Arthur watches as Uthur congratulated him. "At the time I felt like my father was more pleased about being able to add the golden trident to Camelot's vast collection of artefacts, than anything else."

Gaius smiled sadly. "Uthur was never good at expressing how he felt. In his eyes, to show emotional attachment to anyone, was a show of weakness."

"Must be a Pendragon thing." Gwaine mutters.

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**Hey hoped you liked that, next chapter should be up soon.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	39. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-eight: A month and a day I promise to stay.

Freya smiled as she sat, head on Merlin's shoulder, watching the ripples dance over the surface of one of Avalon's many lakes. Her hand was entwined with Merlin's, fingers laced around each other's, palm to palm. The last time she had been this happy was when Merlin kissed her for the first time in the catacombs below Camelot. Glancing round slightly she watched Merlin, his eyes were shut and his head turned to the sky, as he enjoyed the late afternoon sun.

Their wedding had taken place and the two of them were now married, Freya couldn't be happier. She had been given her a mortal body back by the Side, but when she married Merlin, their souls were joined. The wedding ceremony was one for creatures of magic, with their souls now joined, both were immortal and creatures of pure magic…. Plus Freya had been dead and the dead do not age, so both were immortal and would never age.

The only difference was, Freya magic was the magic of Avalon, the oldest magic of all and it shone with the silver light of the moon. Merlin's magic was earth magic, magic of the human realm and it burned with the golden glow of the sun. Yet their magic as it danced around them in fine, glittering mists, it was beautiful and it was peaceful.

Freya smiled and rested her head back on Merlin's shoulder, shifting her head so she could listen to Merlin's heart beating, she shut her eyes.

"You know you look beautiful when you smile." Merlin whispered.

Freya opened her eyes and turned, looking at Merlin, his eyes still shut and face turned towards the sky. "How did you know I was smiling?"

"You do not need your eyes to see." Merlin answered.

Freya thinks for a moment. "You can see with magic?"

Merlin opened his eyes and met her gaze. "Magic creates a picture of the world around us, you simply need to learn how to see it."

Freya smiled and rested her head against Merlin's chest. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen," Merlin answered. "The first time I saw you, I knew I would never meet another like you."

Freya almost laughed. "The first time you saw me, I was covered in dirt and my dress was little more than rags, my hair was a mess and I was chained up in a cage."

"I will always think you beautiful," Merlin answered. "No matter what you look like. And I will always love you."

"Will you still love me, when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"

She knew she would never age, but Merlin hadn't worked that part out yet.

Merlin shifted and cupped Freya face in his hands. "You are the most beautiful person I know and you always will be, no matter what…. Looks are not the only thing that make you beautiful. And I will always love you, nothing will ever change that."

"What did I do, to deserve the love of someone like you?" Freya asked.

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**The lake next to a small village was calm at this time of year, small waves no higher than your ankle washed over the banks of the lake. A young girl, sat watching the water. She loved the water, no matter what the weather. **

**Yes it was sometimes scary in the winter, when the wind wiped the waves into mountains, which threatened to crash down on the village and sweep it away, but never did. She loved the lake, she always felt more peaceful close to water.**

**Not far from her a women was washing clothes in the shallow water, she glanced up every now and again, just to make sure the young girl was safe. She was quite clearly the young girl's mother, they shared the small brown hair and pale skin. But the women eyes were hazel. As she turned back to washing the clothes, the young girl picked a wild flower.**

"**Freya, my child," The women spoke. "Go find your brothers and gather some fire wood, your father will be home soon."**

**The young girl, Freya, nodes and gets to her feet. "Yes, mother."**

**The women smiled and watched her daughter go, but quickly called after her. "Be careful, Freya."**

"**I will mother." The girl called over her shoulder.**

**She walked in to the village and soon found her older brothers, playing with the other boys from the village. "Mother said we needed to collect fire wood."**

"**Go away, Freya." Her oldest brother, a boy of fourteen nearly fifteen summers, growls.**

"**But mother said-"**

**Her other older brother, a boy of thirteen summers, glares at her. "We don't care what mother said."**

**Freya looks between them, unsure of what to do. Finally she turns and walks off into the forest on her own. Her brother had always treated her like that, they said they didn't like girls, but they always looked out for her. **

**And so Freya walked deeper into the forest, picking up sticks as she went. She didn't notice the woods slowly getting darker around her, until a wolf howling in the distance snapped her out of her thoughts.**

**Freya glanced round wildly, she had no idea where she was or which path she had taken to get here. It hadn't rained for weeks, so, the ground was hard and bared no tracks to lead her way back home. The forest, was slowly getting darker. Gripping the sticks closer to her chest, Freya glanced round before walking through the trees, hoping this was the path home.**

**No longer than five minutes of walking, Freya stops. Listening carefully she hears the slow footsteps of another person. Freya smiled, maybe they would know the way back to her village. She quickly rushes through the trees. The slight that greets her is, an old women haggard over her straw basket. A tattered grey cloak hung around her.**

**Freya who had been taught by her mother to respect and help her elder quickly rushed forward. "Can I help you, lady?"**

**The old women looked up at Freya. "If you would be so kind."**

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Merlin watched Freya. She was resting against his chest, her brown hair hiding her face from view. Glancing over the lake, Merlin couldn't help, but feel like they were being watched. Somehow he knew who ever it was, they meant no harm. Suddenly Freya was gripping his arm, tracing the scars on his arm, just below the elbow.

"These look like teeth marks," Freya traced them. "How did you get them?"

Merlin smiled. "They are teeth marks, as for how I got them…. That's not an interesting story."

"But a story none the less," Freya answers. "By the time we leave Avalon, I want to know ever story."

"Well," Merlin sighs. "Long story short, I got bitten by a wolf."

Freya looked at Merlin in shock. "Not many people survive wolf attacks."

Merlin smiled. "Good thing it didn't attack me then…. When I was growing up, I always sent out to collect fire wood by my mother. One night I went too far away from the village, I wasn't watching where I was going. I entered a small clearing and something growled at me, looking up, I came face to face with a wolf."

"How old were you?" Freya asked.

"Fourteen." Merlin answered. "I simply froze, I had heard stories of wolves and people who had been killed by them in the winter. But it didn't attack me, it just kept growling…. I was about to run, when I noticed it had an arrow sticking out its hind leg. It must have crossed paths with a hunter.

"Me being me, I had to help it. Placing the fire wood down on the ground, I slowly moved towards it. Once it knew I meant no harm and it couldn't escape, it let me near it…. I think it must be something to do with my magic, animals have always been quick to trust me.

"But anyway, I pulled the arrow out its leg. The wolf let out a howl of pain, before turning and sinking it teeth into my arm. My magic lashed out, but instead of killing the wolf it healed it. Once the wolf was no longer in pain, it let go and run.

"I passed out half way home, I woke up a couple of days later. I was told by my mother, that a search party had found me in the woods surrounded by wolves, who quickly fled. I was bought back and the bite on my arm was cleaned. I had a fever which caused me to stay unconscious for the days after, but other than that there was little other damage."

Freya shakes her head. "Only you would be foolish enough to risk helping a wolf."

Merlin smiled. "It was in pain and I knew I could help, what else could I have done?"

"It was a wolf Merlin! A wolf!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "It was an animal in pain. I had to help it."

Freya sighed. "How you lived long enough for us to meet, is a mystery."

Merlin laughed.

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**Freya dropped her fire wood and took the basket from the old women, the old women slowly made her way through the trees, Freya following behind carrying her basket. At last they came to a small hut like cottage, beside a fast flowing stream, which Freya knew run into the lake. Through the trees you could make out the mountains, she had no idea she had got so far away from home.**

**The house was surrounded by a small garden of wild flowers and herbs. Many woodland animals sat nearby watching as they passed. Freya glanced round, the area felt different to the rest of the forest, almost like it was sacred. **

**The old women opened the door to the small hut like cottage and entered. "Thank you, for your help, child."**

**Freya smiled as she put the basket down on the table. "My mother told me it was polite to help ones elders."**

"**Then you mother is a kind women," The old women answered. "If you grow up to be half as kind as your mother, your life will be blessed indeed."**

**Freya looked at the old women. "What do you mean?"**

"**Destiny, child." The old women answered. "You best return home, child. Follow the stream and it will lead you home, no harm will come to you, I promise."**

**Freya nodes, before asking. "Destiny?"**

**The old women smiled. "You have a great destiny, child. Your heart is kind and you wish no harm to others. And I must thank you for your help…."**

"**Freya," Freya answers. "What is your name?"**

"**My name is Abnoba, Freya, lady of the lake." The old women answers.**

"**Who's the lady of the lake?"**

**Abnoba smiled. "Time will answer that question child…. Here take this, a thank you gift."**

**She holds out a rune, carved in to a silver stone. Freya takes it before looking up, but the old women is gone.**

"**Thank you." Freya mutters, unsure if the old women was still there, just out of sight.**

**Freya quickly leaves and follows the stream just as she was told. But unknown to her, the old women was watching her from the shadows of the forest. Her form slowly changed into that of a young women and her ragged cloths turned to fine silk.**

"**A gift I have given," Abnoba smiles. "The protection of a goddess. For destiny is great and fate is cruel. And so a lover's heart, shall never break."**

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Freya smiled as she picked up one of the strawberries Merlin had created for her. She studied it, it was a perfect red colour and was almost shaped like a heart.

"Your family?" Freya asked.

Merlin glanced at her. "What about my family?"

"Tell me about them."

Merlin sighed. "There isn't much to tell…. My father was Balinor, the last of the dragon lords and the only one to survive the great purge. He was tricked by Uthur, before fleeing to my home village. My uncle Gaius had told him he could find shelter with my mother, Hunith.

"Over the years my father stayed with my mother, they fell in love. But Uthur caught wind of where Balinor was hiding. He sent knights to hunt him down. My mother tried to hold up the knights as long as she could, giving Balinor just enough time to get away.

"A couple of weeks later, my mother found out she was pregnant with me. She was scared about what Uthur would do if he ever found out she was carrying Balinor's child, she tried to keep her pregnancy a secret for as long as she could. But soon she could no longer hide it.

"Luckily none of the villagers went to Uthur, many of them feared he would burn the whole village for harbouring Balinor for as long as they did…. Even if at the time Hunith was the only one who knew who he was. My mother knew Balinor would never come back, he wouldn't endanger her like that…. So my father never knew he had me as a son until days before he died."

Freya smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Merlin replied.

Freya shakes her head. "I asked about your family and it caused you pain to remember."

"I want to tell you Freya," Merlin answered. "We are married now, so they are your family too."

Freya smiled. "I hope Gaius and Hunith like me."

"They will love you," Merlin grinned. "My mother Hunith, raised me on her own. She never married or found someone else, so I grew up fatherless. I asked about my father many times, but she refused to answer. It must have been hard on her, I was born with magic. I was moving objects before I could talk.

"But we were happy, life was simple as long as you had food on the table and a roof over your head, you were happy. My mother loved me more than anything else, she still does. Every time I wrote a letter telling her of my adventures, she would always worry about the times I got hurt or nearly got caught.

"As I grew older, my powers increased, I started to lose control of them more easily and my mother knew it wouldn't be long until someone found out. So she sent me to stay with my uncle Gaius, court physician in Camelot…. I had never seen much of Gaius in my childhood, I think I may have met him once or twice. So it was like meeting a complete stranger.

"Gaius never had any children, so he started to treat me like his son and I soon learnt to see him as a father. He has taught me a lot of things about healing and has always tried to guide me to the best of his ability. He always lecturing me on the fact I need to be more careful with my magic and that if I was caught I would be killed. He's even used magic to help me.

"Then there is Alice, she's Gaius's love. They were to be married before the great purge started, but they have only seen each other twice since then. She once stayed with us in Camelot, but was to be executed before Gaius helped her escape. She is one of the best healers I know, her knowledge in the magic healing arts is the envy of many. There a few things she cannot heal.

"And finally you have the dragons. Kilgharrah and Aithusa. After my father died, I became the last dragon lord and the dragon became my kin. Kilgharrah is also known as the great dragon, who everyone believed Arthur killed. I must warn you, if you need a question answered, do not go to him…. He only answers in riddles. Aithusa was the dragon I hatched from the last dragon egg and he has just learnt how to breathe fire."

Freya laughs. "You have one interesting family."

Merlin smiled. "What about your family?"

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**The years past and Freya kept the rune given to her. When her family had found her, she had kept the rune hidden. People here knew of magic, but did not like it. A sorceress lived in the wood, rumoured she had a son, but she was cold and cruel and hated people outside of her family. For that reason magic was not liked here and Freya knew the rune was magical.**

**She always felt safer when she had it with her, like someone was looking out for her. Whenever she was in trouble it would glow and surround her in light, protecting her. Luckily she was always on her own when it happened, so no one ever saw it.**

**She helped her mother as she washed some pots in the shallow water of the lake, she glanced up and watched the fishing boats out on the lake. Her father was out there fishing, the lake was like an ocean and was full of fish. Her father had once told her this was the largest lake in Albion.**

**Back in the village her brothers were helping in the small farming fields. They grew vegetables, which they traded with the next village for milk and bread. The fish the caught was also traded, they were the only village to fish on this side of the lake. Life was simply here and Freya was happy, but she couldn't help but feel something was missing.**

**All the other girls were a couple of years older than her, but they had already planned to marry. Freya had yet to meet anyone she even liked the looks of, let alone think about marrying. Both her brothers were to marry, but the Freya had yet to meet who they were marrying.**

"**Mother do you think, I will ever marry?"**

**Her mother looked up. "You will one day, my child. But you are young, you still have a couple of years before you should even think about marrying."**

**Freya nodes. "Will I love them?"**

**Freya's mother sighed. "I should hope so, a marriage without love is no marriage at all."**

"**Do you love father?"**

**Freya's mother smiled. "With all my heart."**

**Freya smiled. "I'm going to collect some fire wood, mother, it will be dark in a couple of hours and I do not want to get lost."**

"**Be careful."**

**Freya smiled and made her way into the woods. As she began to collect fire wood, she did not notice a young man come up behind her, until he grabbed her arm. Freya screamed, as she was pushed backwards into a tree, dropping the fire wood she had collected. In the distance she could hear people calling her name, altered by her scream.**

**The young man grinned wickedly and forced her head back, her vision danced with black dots, as her head came in contact with the tree. Through the haze, she could just make out the glittering of a knife blade and she screamed. Her eyes burned gold and the young man was thrown back into a tree a couple of metres away. Freya collapsed to her knees.**

**She tried to pull away as someone put their arms around her, unknown to her it was her oldest brother. **

"**Please leave me alone." She begged.**

"**Freya," Her older brother, muttered softly. "You're safe now."**

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Freya smiled sadly. "My family…."

"You don't have to speak about them if you don't want to."

"I want to tell you," Freya answers. "My father was a fisherman, he and many others from our village fished on the lake. He was kind, but he had a quick temper. He taught my brothers how to fish and farm, so they could work alongside him. He always made sure I was alright, if any of the village children were mean, he would always go talk to their parents and he even taught me to swim. He wasn't scared to show my mother he loved her, he was always picking her flowers or bringing the best fish home for us to eat."

"He sounds like an honourable man." Merlin mutters.

Freya smiled. "He was. He loved my mother and he loved us. Many men see it as a weakness to show emotions in public, but my father never cared about that and we were truly happy."

"It's a shame not more people are like that," Merlin mutters. "Love is no weakness."

Freya nodes her agreement. "My mother was a druid, she was the kindest person you would ever know. One day when she was young, she was caught by bandits in the forest and my father saved her and they fell in love. After a couple of years of seeing each other, my father asked my mother to marry him. So my mother left the druids to be with my father. She was happy, but I sometimes saw her watching the forest and I knew she was thinking about the family she left behind."

"Did she have magic?" Merlin asked.

"I'm not sure," Freya answers. "It is possible, if she did have it I never saw her use it…. Thinking about, she must have known about my magic, she taught me the ways of the old religion when she could."

Merlin smiled. "Druids always seem to know when people have magic."

"A couple of years after my parents married, my oldest brother was born. He was four years older than me and always used to tease me. He used to push me in the mud and pull my hair, but whenever I was in trouble he would help me. He was brave and a charmer, there wasn't a girl in the village who didn't like him. My father taught him how to fish, but he was scared of the water, so he only farmed.

"Then there was my other brother, he was two years older than me. He was a trouble maker, always pulling pranks on me and the other children in the village. Father was forever telling him off, but father could never stay angry at him for long. He was far better at fishing than farming, but couldn't swim. One day he fell out the boat and nearly drowned after that my father refused to let him fish, so he too farmed.

"And then finally you have me. The youngest of my family." Freya smiled.

Merlin gripped her hand. "I wish I could have meet them."

"So do I."

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**In had been less than three days since Freya had killed the young man in the wood, the wound on the back of her head was healing nicely and the pain had faded away. Her mother had taken such care in treating it, Freya couldn't help but be thankful that her mother was skilled in healing. Her father had lost his temper and demanded that they hunt down the sorceress whose son Freya had killed.**

**It was mid-afternoon and the sun was hanging low in the sky, Freya was sitting outside her home watching her mother work. Suddenly out of nowhere a women appeared, her gaze landed on Freya and her yells filled the air, flashes of light shot towards Freya and her mother moving quickly stepped before her and fell to the ground.**

"**Mother!" Freya screamed, falling to her mother's side.**

**The sorceress sneered at Freya. "You killed my son!"**

**Freya looked up, tears streaming down her face as she held the lifeless body of her mother in her arms. "I-I, I'm s-sorry."**

**The sorceress laughed a bitter, humourless laugh. "How pathetic you are, you little witch! Don't think for one moment your little act will fool me!"**

**Freya looked down at her mother face. "You-you, k-killed my m-mother!"**

"**Pity," the sorceress sneered. "She was such a kind soul."**

**Freya hugged her mother close, her mother was dead.**

**Out of the trees, Freya father and brothers appeared, along with the other men from the village. Upon seeing Freya's mothers' dead body, her father let out a battle cry and charged towards the sorceress. She simply turned, yelled a word Freya couldn't understand and all of the men including her father were thrown backwards. They landed on the ground with a sickening thud and all seized to move again.**

**The sorceress turned her attention back to Freya. "Since you love to kill so much, little witch, I will curse you to kill for evermore."**

**The sorceress held up her hand and began to chant, but before she could complete the spell, a root burst out the ground and dragged her into the forest. The old women Freya had helped years ago appeared.**

"**I am sorry child," She whispered. "But I came too late…. She cursed you to take the form of a beast and to kill until killed, but the spell was not completed. By day you will take a human form, but by night you will take the form of a beast…. Destiny has been shattered, but not lost. Have faith child, you will know what it feels to be loved."**

**The years past, for a year or two the druids had been able to keep the curse under control, but then one night, when the moon was full and the powers of old were strongest, she killed many. After that she fled and just kept running from place to place, trying not to kill, but she could not control it…. She was a monster.**

**Then one night, she was caught. Trapped in a cage, she waited alone and scared, knowing her fate. Uthur was a cruel man and all who were caught, were killed. As she watched the stars from her cage, she almost smiled. She would miss the beauty of the world, but her life wasn't worth living, not anymore.**

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Merlin watched the sun rise, his body tense and his mind racing. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his shoulder.

"You are worried." Freya mutters.

Merlin almost smiled. "Had I known when I entered Avalon, I would have to stay here for a month and a day, I would have waited until the war was over."

Freya sighed. "You do not know how much time would have passed when we return to the human realm, you may have only been gone a couple of hours, a day even!"

"Or I could have been gone years!" Merlin answers. "I know I should enjoy the time I have here, but I can't help but worry."

He was the only one who could hope of beating Mordred. Mordred had stolen so much power from others, even Merlin would have trouble fighting him. Merlin could return to the human realm and find it completely destroyed, with no one left. He would have failed his people, he would have failed the human race.

Freya kissed Merlin's cheek. "No matter what we return to, I will always stand at your side."

Merlin knew he couldn't waste his time here, he and Freya wouldn't have a peaceful life like this for a long time once they returned to the human realm. But he would have Freya at his side, with her he felt like he could do anything. He had something to fight for, someone he would risk even Arthur's life to protect.

Merlin turned and kissed Freya on the lips. "Then we best enjoy our time here…. We won't have peace like this for a long time…. Plus we are married."

Freya smiled, a light blush colouring her cheeks. "We haven't even opened the wedding gifts yet."

"We haven't even received all the wedding gifts yet and we have been married for days!" Merlin laughed.

Freya got to her feet and Merlin followed, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Freya slipped her arms around his neck, her eyes locked with his. "Are you sure this is not a dream?"

Merlin smiled. "If this is a dream we best make the most of it."

And the two of them kissed with the rising sun creating a golden halo of light around them.

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**Hey next up is the queen of hearts and the sorcerer's shadow, hopeful won't be too long until the next chapter is up, so until then,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	40. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter thirty-nine: Queen of hearts and the sorcerer's shadow.

Gaius stood beside Taliesin, he knew what the next adventure was and he knew how Arthur had reacted at Uthur's death. Gaius could simply hope Arthur had believed him when he told him, Dragoon the Great had only tried to heal Uthur. Arthur had seen enough to know, Merlin would never harm anyone in Camelot, not even Uthur.

Gaius wouldn't lie, there had been times when Merlin though about killing Uthur and sometimes Merlin nearly acted on those thoughts, but then Merlin would remember his destiny and how much Arthur loved his father. If Arthur saw his father die at the hands of magic, it would not have boded well for Albion and the fate of those with magic. Merlin had been so devastated when he failed to save Uthur, not because Uthur was dead, but because he knew how it felt to lose a father.

Not to mention the fact, Arthur declared his hate for magic right after. Merlin had believed he had failed and it had been one of the hardest moments of Merlin's life, knowing if things had gone well Arthur would have accepted magic then and there, and made it legal when he became king.

"Are you sure showing them this is wise?" Gaius asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "They have to know everything…. The good, the bad…. Everything."

"But if Arthur sees this," Gaius answers. "All this could be for nothing…. The death of his father hit him hard."

"And in time he will see Merlin did everything in his power to save his father... He simply was not prepared for the lengths Morgana would go to, to kill the king."

Gaius sighs. "I hope Arthur trusts Merlin, trusts him enough to know Merlin had no intention of killing the king that day."

"Destiny is not so easily destroyed. Arthur has seen Merlin save the king with magic, he's seen Merlin save the kingdom single handed... And risk everything to save the people he cares about. All that has to count for something…. Friendship is a powerful thing."

Gaius nodes. "But is it enough."

"Only time will tell."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The doors to the great hall were pulled open, both sides of the room were filled with people and all of them dressed in fine clothes. A women in a lilac dress with dark hair approaches the two thrones at the far end of the hall, where Arthur stands, watching her approach. As the women, Gwen, kneels on the steps before Arthur, he holds out his hand for the crown. In the crowd Gaius and Merlin watch with pride. And so Arthur crowns Gwen Queen of Camelot. As they take their seats on the thrones, Morgana wakes with a start and looks at her healing bracelet. After getting up and going over to the window, Morgana dismisses Gwen for the night.**

Elyan smiles as he watches as his sister is crowned queen of Camelot. "Father would have been proud."

Gwen smiles. "I'm not married yet."

"But you will be." Leon answers.

Arthur nodes. "You will be Camelot's Queen."

"But," Gwen smiles sadly. "Merlin will not be there."

**The following morning Morgana walks through the castle when she hears someone calling her. She follows the voice to an old storage room, where Morgause greets her. Morgana tells her sister about her dreams, where she sees Gwen being crowned Queen. Morgause warns her that these dreams must not be ignored and that she must destroy whatever relationship Gwen and Arthur have. Upon returning to her chambers Morgana talks to Gwen about her feelings for Arthur, but Gwen doesn't tell her much, knowing Morgana must be planning something. **

Tristan shakes his head. "How your father ever thought he could win the war against magic…. I'll never know. Morgause has slipped into the castle quite a few times now and no one has caught her or even known it was her."

Arthur shakes his head. "I don't think we would have been able to do anything even if we had caught her…. Her magic was powerful, we have only lived this long because Merlin stopped her."

Gwaine looks at Arthur. "You just admitted Merlin saved you, I never thought I'd live to see the day!"

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur sighs. "And I have said Merlin's saved us before!"

"So that's how Uthur found out about you and Gwen," Leon mutters. "Morgana must have told Uthur. That way she wouldn't have had to risk using magic."

"What about Dragoon?" Elyan asks. "By telling Uthur, that sorcerer almost died…. The sorcerer who later killed the king."

"Maybe he was in on the plan," Percival puts in. "Morgana needed there to be proof of magic to get Gwen killed. She couldn't have risked placing the poultice there herself."

Arthur shakes his head. "No…. I am sure he could have got away. A sorcerer of his power would only be caught if he wanted to be caught."

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**Later when Uthur is dinning with Arthur and Morgana, Gwen and Merlin are serving. Morgana watches Arthur and Gwen closely. Arthur is quite clearly distracted by Gwen and spills his drink, much to the anger of Uthur. Later Morgana goes to see Arthur and they talk about his and Gwen's feelings for each other. Morgana convinces Arthur to spend some time with Gwen.**

"You were worried about Uthur finding out about Gwen," Leon mutters. "Yet you made it so clear, a blinds man could have seen it."

"Was it really that obvious?" Arthur asks.

Gwaine nodes. "I'm surprised Uthur didn't notice."

"But Morgana only knew because of her dream," Percival mutters. "Do you think Morgana would have known, if it wasn't for the dream?"

Elyan shakes his head. "I think Morgana knew before that, how else would she have known Arthur would have helped Gwen save me?"

Leon sighs. "Gwen did such a good job of not answering Morgana questions and you, Arthur, go and tell her all she needed to know."

"Had I known Morgana was fighting against us, I would never have told her!" Arthur replies.

Tristan shakes his head. "I think even if you had known, you still would have done it…. I think you would simply have refused to believe what was true."

"Must be a Pendragon trait." Gwaine mutters.

**Later Merlin goes to see Gwen and convinces her to go on a picnic with Arthur the next day. But Gwen is still worried about what will happen if someone sees them, but she finally agrees to go. Merlin agrees to pick her up the following morning. Later that night Gwen asks for the following day off, when Morgana asks why, Gwen lies and tells her she fears she is becoming ill. Morgana gives her the day off and smirks as Gwen leaves, knowing her plan is working.**

"I take it, if Merlin had known it was Morgana's plan, he would never have convinced Gwen to go?" Isolde asks.

Gaius nodes. "I believe, had Merlin known a lot of things would have worked out differently."

Gwen smiles. "Merlin is such a good friend."

Arthur half smiled. "He is."

"A good lie, Gwen," Leon mutters. "But this was Morgana's plan, there was no fooling her."

Elyan nodes. "Least it worked out well in the end and exposed a sorcerer, who was really enchanting them."

"No," Percival speaks up. "Arthur and Gwen were in love long before this…. I don't believe any magic was used."

Tristan nodes. "I have a feeling, this Dragoon you speak of, took the blame to stop Gwen from being killed."

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**The following day, Merlin knocks on Gwen's door and enters, just as Gwen appears from behind a curtain. When Merlin sees her, he quickly complements her and the two of them leave to go and meet Arthur. In the woods Arthur is using a silver plate to check how he looks and fails to notice Gwen and Merlin approaching. Merlin does a bird call, scaring Arthur into dropping the plate. As Merlin leaves them to their date, Morgana watches on from the ridge above, before riding off back to Camelot. **

Gwen smiles. "Merlin knows the right things to say."

Isolde nodes. "Whoever Merlin has married will be one happy women."

Tristan glances at Isolde. "I hope I make you happy."

Isolde smiles. "I couldn't be happier."

"Wow," Gwaine gasps. "Arthur speechless, who would have thought it."

"Who wouldn't be," Arthur answers. "When they looked upon such beauty."

Elyan turns to Leon. "Are you sure he hasn't been enchanted again?"

Leon shrugs. "I don't think so."

Gwaine grins. "Quite the poet, Arthur."

"Shut up, Gwaine!"

**Later back in Camelot Uthur is having lunch with Morgana. Morgana tries to convince Uthur to go for a ride with her, telling him, it's such a beautiful day. But Uthur refuses, saying he had council matters to attend to. After convincing Uthur to go for a ride with her, the two ride out of Camelot. As they ride Uthur tells her how pleased he is she convinced him to do this and Morgana challenges him to a race. **

Gwaine shakes his head. "What a shame Merlin wasn't serving, otherwise he could have warned Arthur of Morgana's plan."

"Merlin really has his work cut out this time." Percival mutters.

Leon sighs. "For a moment there I thought Uthur was going to refuse."

"She seemed to struggle there," Gwaine laughs. "It must have been so hard for her to say her time with him was 'precious' and 'meant a lot'."

Elyan nodes. "She would see his death faster than he could blink…. She'd see us all dead for that matter."

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**Elsewhere Gwen and Arthur are enjoying their lunch, Arthur quickly tells Gwen she is not here as a servant and to just be herself. Arthur tells her that he sometimes dreams of leaving Camelot, Gwen asks him where he would go. Arthur tells her somewhere nobody knew him and he would become a farmer, Gwen laughs, Arthur quickly adds he's take Merlin with him and make him do all the work. As Gwen and Arthur continue to enjoy their picnic, Arthur saves Gwen from a wasp. And so they kiss. But soon after Morgana and Uthur appear through the trees.**

Leon sighs. "I cannot imagine being under that much pressure, the people except so much of you. Beginning a knight, is much easier."

Arthur nodes. "There are days I wish I was not born a prince."

"Trust me," Percival speaks up. "The life of a noble is much better than that of a farmer. Did you learn nothing when you went to Merlin's village?"

Arthur sighs. "I could never abandon my duties, no matter what, I owe it to the people, to protect them…. I just sometimes wish, there was less pressure."

Gwaine rolls his eyes. "Like Merlin would agree to that! He does enough work as it is."

"Least it shows Arthur cares," Elyan grins. "Merlin is Arthur's closest friend."

Tristan shakes his head. "It proves Arthur could not live without the aid of a servant. You were bought up a royal, nothing will change that."

"Plus Merlin has duties of his own," Percival adds. "He is Emrys."

"How heroic," Gwaine mocks. "Saving the fair lady from a mighty wasp."

"People can die from wasp stings." Gaius quickly speaks up. "I know of people who have died from wasp and bee strings…. They can be quite dangerous."

Elyan shakes his head as Uthur finds them. "This cannot end well."

**Back in Camelot Arthur waits in the throne room for his father, pacing up and down as he does so. Uthur soon appears and starts laughing as he sees Arthur, who is quite surprised to he see his father laughing. Uthur then warns Arthur that he can never see Gwen again. Uthur explains Arthur must marry for the good of the kingdom, but Arthur tells Uthur he loves Gwen. Uthur then banishes Gwen from the city she has three days to leave.**

"That's hard to believe," Elyan mutters. "I wouldn't have thought Uthur would have looked twice at a serving girl."

Percival nodes. "How people change."

Leon shakes his head. "You should never have told Uthur of your true feelings for her."

"I know." Arthur mutters. "But I love Gwen."

"Then you should have kept quiet," Elyan mutters. "You even said yourself Uthur would never let you see a serving girl."

Arthur sighed. "I know."

Gwen gripped Arthur's arm. "I am glad you could admit your feelings."

Arthur smiled. "But you were almost burnt at the stake."

"But I did not," Gwen answers. "That is all that matters."

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**Back in his room Arthur accuses Merlin of telling the king. Merlin tells him he hadn't spoken to the king. Arthur tells Merlin he couldn't keep a secret to save his life, to which Merlin replies he'd be surprised. Not long after Morgana appears and Merlin is dismissed, but he glares at Morgana as he leaves. Arthur tells Morgana he'll leave with Gwen, it was after all his fault Gwen had been banished and one day they will return and Gwen will take her place on the throne beside him.**

"Did you seriously think Merlin told the king?" Gwaine asked, shocked.

"Who else knew?" Arthur demands.

"Morgana," Elyan answered. "It was her idea."

"I had no reason to think it was Morgana," Arthur answered. "She and Gwen were friends."

"You had not reason to think it was Merlin, yet you did." Gwaine answers. "Merlin has been nothing but loyal to you and you would turn on him so quickly."

"Do you think Merlin knew then?" Percival asks, changing the subject before a fight could start. "I mean he glared at her as he left, he must have known she had something to do with it."

Elyan nodes. "He might have, but what could he do? It was too late to stop her, Gwen had already been banished."

"Not a good idea." Leon mutters. "By telling her you would leave with her, she knew she would be the only one to take the throne."

Gaius shakes his head. "No, by telling her you would return and take your places on the thrones, Morgana would fear her vision would come true."

Gwen looks at Gaius. "Like with Merlin, trying to stop it from happening caused it to happen."

Gaius nodes.

**Down in the town Merlin watches as Gwen packs her things, he asks her where she will go and Gwen has no answer. He comforts her as she cries, her life had always been in Camelot. Merlin promises Gwen they'll think of something. Later that night, Morgana places a poultice under Arthur's pillow and quickly goes to find Uthur. Morgana tells the king it is like Arthur has been enchanted, after all he has been acting strangely and never once told her about his feelings for Gwen, which was a lie.**

Gwen smiles sadly. "Camelot is the only place I have ever called home."

Arthur sighed. "It will never happen again, I promise."

Gwen smiles. "Who knows what the future will bring."

Elyan shakes his head. "She really wanted you dead."

Gwen shivers. "She hated me all because she had a dream of me becoming queen."

"She could not bear for someone else to sit on the throne, she believed to be hers." Percival answers.

Leon nodes. "And she knew how blind Uthur became when magic was involved."

"It was the perfect plan." Gwaine mutters. "Least Merlin saved you."

"You know?" Gwen asks.

Gwaine grins. "Of course."

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**Uthur orders Arthur's room to be searched. Merlin quickly appears and asks what's happening, Arthur tells him Uthur had ordered his chamber to be searched and guard soon finds the poultice. In the council hall Gaius tells Uthur it bears the markings of the old religion and can be used for enchanting people. As Uthur tells Gaius where it was found, Gaius watches Morgana closely knowing this must be her work. **

"Bet you were pleased, princess." Gwaine laughs. "Bet you loved the fact they found none of your dresses."

"I don't own any dresses." Arthur replied. "It would have been hard for them to find something I do not own."

"Of course." Gwaine laughs.

Gaius shakes his head. "I often wish I had never told the king anything. Had I known what was to happen as a result, I would never have said anything."

"Uthur would have accused Gwen anyway," Leon answers. "Morgana had told him magic was involved there was no avoiding it."

**Elsewhere Merlin appears and informs Arthur that Gwen has been dragged from the lower town by some guards. Arthur quickly leaves, Merlin only a couple of steps behind him. Gwen is thrown before Uthur he questions Gwen about the poultice, she tells him she has never seen it before in her life. After being asked a second question, Uthur slaps Gwen. Not seconds later Arthur and Merlin appear through the doors. Gaius and Arthur both stand up for Gwen but Uthur will not listen and sentences Gwen to burn at the stake. Arthur is taken away by guards and Gwen is taken to the dungeons. But they share one last kiss, before they are pulled apart, as Gwen is dragged away she notices Morgana smirking.**

Gwen subconsciously reaches up and rubs her check. "I know why so many fear him, he is most certainly not a kind man."

Arthur pulls Gwen's hand from her cheek. "You were brave, not many would answer the king in such a way."

"Yeah," Elyan laughs. "Not even Arthur."

Gaius shakes his head. "That was Uthur's greatest fault he would never listen to reason."

Percival nodes. "I can understand why you told Merlin never to tell anyone Balinor was his father. He found Gwen guilty because he father he consulted with a sorcerer."

Leon shakes his head. "You shouldn't have acted like that Arthur, you gave Uthur all the more reason to believe you had been enchanted."

Arthur shakes his head. "If my father believed I wouldn't give up the throne for the people I love, then he didn't know me at all."

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**The following day both Gwen and Arthur watch as the guards build the pyre Gwen will soon burn on. As Arthur watches, Merlin appears and tells Arthur they need a plan to smuggle Gwen out of Camelot. But Arthur knows it is hopeless and tells Merlin he cannot watch Gwen die. Merlin later takes food to Gwen, he asks if she knows who might have planted the poultice and she tells him she thinks it was Morgana.**

Elyan hugs Gwen. "I am sorry…. If I had been home, maybe I could have held them up long enough for you to get away."

"No, they would have just hunted me down and possible killed you." Gwen replied. "Least Merlin came up with a way to save me."

"Merlin was at the tavern." Arthur answers.

"Merlin is never at the tavern," Gwaine replies. "The only times he ever goes there is when he drags me home at night. Or when he goes with us."

"Gaius said he was at the tavern." Arthur answers, turning to Gaius. "He never at the tavern, is he?"

Gaius shakes his head. "It is a good cover story, no body questions it."

**Later on Merlin tells Gaius what Gwen said about Morgana and how she is sure it was Morgana who planted the poultice. Gaius warns Merlin they cannot tell the king, he would never believe them and anything Arthur said would be taken as evidence against him, to prove he was enchanted. Merlin then comes up with an idea of inventing a sorcerer. Gaius asks if he knows of a sorcerer stupid enough to take the blame for Gwen, to which Merlin tells him, he'll do it.**

"Well," Arthur laughed. "That plan obviously failed. We all know Dragoon was the one caught."

Gwen, Gwaine and Gaius all share knowing looks.

Elyan notices the look they share. "Do you not think it was odd, Dragoon knew us all by name?"

Arthur shakes his head. "You are knights of Camelot, everyone knows you names."

"No," Leon speaks up. "He spoke as if he knew us well."

"Maybe when Merlin's plan failed he went to seek Dragoon's help." Arthur answers.

Percival thinks for a moment. "I have never seen Merlin and Dragoon in the same place."

Arthur laughs. "What are you saying? Merlin killed my father!"

Everyone shared an uncomfortable looks.

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**Merlin pulls his spell book out from under his bed and starts looking for the right spell, Gaius follows him and tells him he fears Arthur would know it was him no matter what spell he used. Merlin just smiled and said he wouldn't if he was an eighty year old man. Gaius warns him aging spells are difficult and powerful. As Merlin starts on the spell Gaius begins to make a poultice like the one Morgana used. Later on Merlin appears out his room in the form of Dragoon the great. After asking Gaius if he looks at all like his normal self, he sets off to complete his plan and save Gwen.**

Arthur shakes his head in disbelief. "No, No, NO! This is some sort of joke, isn't it?"

Taliesin shakes his head. "The crystals cannot lie."

Gaius sighs. "Merlin tried all that was within his power to save your father. But neither of us were prepared for the events that lead to your father's death."

Arthur shakes his head. "Merlin killed my father!"

"If Morgana and your uncle did not plot against you, Uthur would more than likely be alive!" Gaius snapped. "Merlin risked everything to save your father and not a day has passed when he has wished things had worked differently!"

"Morgana?" Arthur asks.

Gaius nodes. "She had your uncle place an enchanted amulet around his neck…. It reversed the effects of healing spells…. Merlin really did try to save your father."

"But in the woods," Elyan speaks up. "Dragoon…. Merlin said if we took him to Camelot he would kill Arthur."

Gaius smiled slightly. "It was true, but you will see the full story soon."

**Merlin makes his way through the castle and makes sure Arthur catches him placing the poultice under Arthur's pillow. After Arthur demands to know who he was Merlin answers, he is Dragoon the great and Arthur notices there is something about his eyes. After knocking Arthur out for a moment he runs, hiding from some guards, he tries to undo the spell but cannot and caught by Arthur.**

Gwaine laughs. "Go Merlin."

Gwen smiles. "He certainly acts like an old man."

Gaius shakes his head. "I always fear he has way to much fun acting like Dragoon."

Arthur glared at the three of them. "You knew it was Merlin, who killed my father."

"Yes," Gwen answers. "And I know Merlin has only ever tried to help people. I knew he never meant to kill Uthur, because Merlin would never kill someone in cold blood. And if you, Arthur Pendragon, cannot understand that, then you no nothing about Merlin."

"How long have you known?" Arthur demands.

"No long." Gwen answers. "I worked it out when Gaius told me Merlin had saved me both times I was to be killed for sorcerer."

"What about you, Gwaine?" Arthur demands.

"Merlin all but told me, when I visited him." Gwaine grins. "He really has to teach me some of these tricks."

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**Dragoon is dragged into the council chamber where Uthur is holding a meeting. Dragoon and Gaius share a look and Morgana looks shocked that a sorcerer had been caught. Uthur questions Dragoon and Merlin in the form of Dragoon tells the king what he really thinks of him. And then has a go at Arthur too. Merlin then tells Uthur he enchanted both Gwen and Arthur and Uthur has Gwen released. As Merlin is taken away, Morgana follows and Gaius talks with her. Merlin is thrown in the dungeons and watches the pyre in the courtyard.**

Gwaine burst out laughing as Uthur asks Merlin, if he had somehow wronged him. "Why did he even ask?"

Gaius smiled slightly. "Uthur did not take being insulted well."

"But what he said was true." Tristan mutters. "He is brave, I'll give him that."

Isolde nodes. "Uthur could have run him through right there."

Gwen smiles. "I'll be forever grateful. But that must have been his worst nightmare, sentenced to death like that."

Arthur just glared at the screen, while Elyan, Percival and Leon, didn't quite know how to react, Merlin had played a part in killing Uthur and had threatened to kill Arthur.

**Gaius who is on his way to see Merlin, is stopped by Arthur asking were Merlin was and Gaius tells him Merlin was spending the day at the tavern. In the dungeons Merlin tells Gaius he cannot break the spell, it's too powerful. Gaius tells him he can make a potion, but it will take time. Gaius works on the potion all through the night, but cannot get it right. In the early hours of the morning, Gaius falls asleep.**

"So that's why Arthur always thinks Merlin is in the tavern." Elyan grins, he trusted Merlin and knew Merlin would never have killed Uthur on purpose.

"I bet Merlin hated the fact you used that as the reason he was away." Percival agrees.

"It was the first thing I thought of," Gaius answers. "And no one seems to question it."

"So when you say Merlin is at the tavern," Gwaine mutters. "He's off saving us?"

Gwen looks away. "Why did Merlin have to risk his own life?"

"You are his friend," Isolde answers. "From what I have seen of him, Merlin would risk his life to save a friend."

"But he must have been so scared," Gwen answers. "Burning at the stake…."

"He knew the risks, Gwen." Gaius speaks up. "But he could not let you die."

Gwen shook her head. "He needs to put his own safety first. He helps everyone else, but never looks out for himself."

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**The following morning, Merlin still in the form of Dragoon is lead out to the pyre by Arthur. Meanwhile Gaius has found the correct potion and quickly makes his way down to the court yard. As Uthur addresses Dragoon, Gaius appears in the crowd and taps his hand, letting Merlin know he has the potion. Taking a deep breath, Merlin/Dragoon runs at Gaius insults him and grabs the potion. As Arthur comforts Gaius Merlin/Dragoon is dragged towards the pyre and mutters a spell, causing it to explode into flames. As the people panic, Merlin/Dragoon escapes.**

Gwen shakes her head. "Do you think Morgana felt guilty?"

"It's hard to tell," Gaius answers. "I think she felt a bit guilty and possibly angry. Merlin stopped her plan, you lived."

Gwaine laughs. "He played the part of a vengeful sorcerer quite well, don't you think?"

Leon shakes his head. "It must have been horrible."

Arthur turns to Gaius, he knew in his heart of hearts Merlin would never have killed Uthur on purpose. "Why didn't he just escape in the night? He could have come back to collect the potion."

Gaius sighs. "Merlin thought I would get the potion to him in time."

**Merlin runs through the castle and quickly downs the potion, changing back and hiding the red robes behind his back, Merlin comes face to face with Arthur. After Arthur tells him off for being in the tavern. After being told to muck out the stables Merlin just grins, playing an idiot really did work. Back in Morgana's chambers, Morgana speaks with Gwen and tells her she begged for Uthur to let her go, Gwen just smiles and leaves. On her way down the corridor Arthur grabs her and pulls her behind a pillar. Arthur tells her, he still would give up his place on the throne for her and they go to kiss but are disturbed and go their separate ways. Back in Gaius's chamber Merlin just gets back from mucking out the stables. After asking Gaius why Arthur seemed to think he spent the day at the tavern he goes up to his room. **

The knights all laugh as Merlin points at the wall, when Arthur asked him where the sorcerer went.

Gwaine grins. "How Merlin escaped that one is a miracle, he had the robes behind his back."

"Good thing Arthur just thought he was still drunk from being at the 'tavern'." Elyan laughs.

Arthur just shakes his head. "Why do I even believe half the things Merlin tells me?"

Gwen sighed. "Morgana really hated me didn't she?"

Isolde puts a comforting hand on Gwen's arm. "She hated what you were to become."

Arthur turns to Gwen. "When this is over, you will become my wife. There are a lot of customs that need changing when we return."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**A young man walks through a forest, when suddenly two men appear out of their hiding places and make their way towards him. They grab his bag and ask him his name, he tells them it is Gilli. They then ask him where he is going and he tells them he is going to Camelot to fight in the open tournament. They take his sword and Gilli tries to get it back, but they beat him up. He hurries over to his bag and pulls out a ring, which glows with magic as he looks at it, his eyes burn the same colour.**

Leon shakes his head. "We should have known he was using magic! He got all the way to the final."

"He did!?" Percival asks shocked.

Elyan nodes. "It was the talk of the lower town."

"So he used magic…. How long do you think it'll be until Merlin finds out?" Gwaine grins.

"Not long." Elyan mutters.

Percival nodes. "Merlin always find out."

**In Camelot, Merlin and Arthur are walking through the courtyard and Merlin cannot see the point of the tournament. Arthur tells him it is tradition, which has been going on for centuries. As they make their way on to the training field, Merlin glances round as people use moves and weapons which were illegal. Arthur informs him the only rule is there are no rules. After Arthur walks off, Merlin ducks back out the way of an axe, he knew he was going to have a hard time keeping Arthur safe.**

Gwen shakes her head. "I agree with Merlin, there is no point to these tournaments. What if you were to get hurt?"

Arthur smiled. "I never get hurt."

"And we all know that's because Merlin is watching your back." Gwaine grins.

"Shut up, Gwaine."

Percival shakes his head. "A tournament were no one fights with honour…. That is not something I would wish to take part in."

Leon nodes. "You should always fight with honour."

"Merlin has quick reflexes," Elyan mutters. "I don't think many servants could have ducked out the way of that axe."

"No honour." Percival mutters.

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**In the lower town Gillis has just arrived, he gets himself a room. Back in the castle Merlin is fixing some amour, when the two men who took Gilli's sword appear. They mock Merlin and order him to clean their boots, as Merlin looks for cloth, one uses a wip and Merlin spins round. Before anything else can happen Gilli appears through the door behind them. Merlin tries to draw the attention away from Gilli, causing them to turn, when they turn their backs Gilli uses magic to summon a sword from the side and disarms one of the men. Merlin yells a warning as they pick up an axe and Gilli once again disarms them and orders them to leave, which they quickly do. As Arthur starts yelling from down the corridor Merlin and Gilli introduce themselves and Merlin notices the ring.**

"The inn keeper was right, he'll be dead by sundown." Tristan mutters. "Magic or not, he's no fighter."

Arthur shakes his head. "He made it to the final and nearly beat my father."

Gwaine glares at the screen. "They better hope they're dead, because no one treats my brother like that."

"Brother?" Elyan asks.

"Yeah," Gwaine grins. "We are brothers in all but blood."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "Why didn't he tell me that happened?"

"It's Merlin," Gaius answers. "He never tells people about things like that…. He hates to trouble people with matter such as that."

"Neat trick," Gwaine mutters. "So the ring is what gives him magic?"

"Yes and no," Gaius answers. "To wield the power of the ring, you must have magic of a good strength. But you do not need to know how to use magic."

"So I couldn't use it?"

Gaius shakes his head. "Not unless you have magic."

**Later that night Merlin is serving the Pendragon family their evening meal. Morgana teases Uthur and Arthur about how many times Uthur has won in the past. After Arthur and Merlin leave Morgana convinces Uthur to fight. The following day Merlin is helping Arthur prepares and asks how he is feeling, to which Arthur answers he's feeling confident. Merlin continues to talk about how many people died on the first and Arthur tells him to shut up.**

"She is sly," Isolde sighs. "She knows pride means more to Uthur than anything else. With him being older, there was more chance of him being killed."

Leon nodes. "She knew if he died Arthur would be all who stood between her and the throne. Plus she wouldn't even have to do anything, she could simply watch."

Elyan grins at Arthur. "How was your confidence feeling after Merlin's little prep talk?"

Arthur rolls his eyes. "When I have no confidence he'll say the wisest of things, but when I'm not he'll say things that would knock most people's confidence."

"He right though," Percival smiled. "Most people die on the first day."

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**Later on the field Morgana introduces everyone to the tournament and Uthur takes his place beside Arthur, much to the shock of everyone but Morgana. Uthur is the first to fight and he wins to the relief of Arthur and the disappointment of Morgana. Arthur also wins his fight. One of the two men who fought with Gilli wins, but only by fighting with no honour. Gilli also wins, but get injured and Merlin knows he is using magic. Gaius and Merlin both approach Gilli but he refuses help, Gaius informs Merlin the ring had a mark of the old religion on it. **

"Uthur really shouldn't have entered," Leon mutters. "It was far too dangerous and Uthur hardly ever trained."

Elyan nodes. "He would risk his life to protect his honour, a king should always put his people first."

Gwaine shakes his head. "This tournament is the perfect opportunity for thugs like him, even I wouldn't attack from behind after the other person had won."

"Tournaments like that only attract those who fight with no honour," Tristan sighs. "Many who fight will be like him."

"Did no one notice I won my fight?" Arthur asked.

Percival smiles. "Merlin has noticed Gilli is using magic."

Gaius nodes. "But he was foolish to use his power in such a way, if Uthur had caught him I don't think even Merlin could have saved him."

**After going to the armoury Gilli heals his arm with the ring, but gets spotted by some guards after hiding he goes back to his room and only then does he notice his ring is missing. Back in the castle Uthur, Gaius and Merlin are looking at the marks on the door left by Gilli's spell. Gaius lies to Uthur about what caused it and picks up Gilli's ring. Back in Gaius's chamber Merlin looks at the ring, as Gaius explains what spell Gilli used. Gaius tells Merlin he has to talk to Gilli before anyone finds out and he gets killed.**

"So he can use magic." Leon mutters. "That's the first spell I've seen him use."

Gaius nodes. "The ring does not always need spells, you can simply will things to happen."

"You lied to Uthur, why?" Arthur asks.

"Gilli had done nothing wrong," Gaius answers. "He did not kill who he fought and showed he had honour. If he had killed and shown no honour I would have told the king it was magic."

Arthur nodes. "You only told the king the truth when it was people who deserved to die."

"The king never gave anyone a fair trial," Gaius answers. "I only told the king the truth when dark magic was used or it was quite clearly the use of magic and he couldn't be fooled."

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**Later that night Merlin goes to see Gilli, he asks about his arm and Gilli tells him there is nothing to see. Merlin sits down on one of the beds in the room and talks about how Gilli fought, he tells him anyone would think he was using magic, Gilli tells him he wasn't. Merlin holds up Gilli's ring, before throwing it to him and asking where he got it from. Gilli explains it was his fathers and how his father would never use magic. Merlin warns Gilli he'll get caught and executed.**

"He seemed quite jumpy." Gwaine muttered.

"Wouldn't you be?" Percival answered. "If you had just used magic in Camelot and nearly been caught wouldn't you be 'quite jumpy'?"

"He reminds me of Merlin," Gwen smiles. "Merlin was just like that when he first arrived in Camelot. He thought he'd be a 'nobody' without magic."

Elyan nodes. "He reminds him of himself."

"Do you think he'll tell him about his magic?" Isolde asks.

Tristan shakes his head. "It would be too much of a risk."

**Both Arthur and Uthur win their fights the following day and will have to face each other in the semi-final. Out side Merlin notices as the two things who attacked Gilli tease him before he has to fight one of them. Merlin puts down his work and quickly follows Gilli and watches the fight. As Gilli is forced back into the stands and grabbed by the second thug he uses magic to throw the first backwards, before headhunting the second and killing the first. Merlin just looks horrified as Gilli goes into shock.**

Leon glances at Arthur. "You didn't seem pleased you would have to fight your father."

"I wasn't," Arthur answered. "To fight and win, would humiliate my father and to lose would prove I wasn't strong enough to lead the people."

Elyan nodes. "That's why you let your father win because you couldn't humiliate him in front of his people."

Arthur nodes. "My father deserved one last victory."

Gwaine glares at the two thugs. "They deserve whatever is coming their way, I hope Gilli humiliates them good and proper."

Percival nodes. "They deserve it."

"How did no one see the magic he used, he throw the man back a good couple of feet." Leon almost yells.

Gwaine shakes his head as Gilli kills the thug. "You never kill a man while his back is turned to you."

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**Later Gilli sits in the armoury, he's still in shook from killing the thug…. It was the first time he had ever killed anyone. Merlin approached and sat down near him and Gilli explained he was no killer, all he wanted was to be respected. Merlin tells him to withdraw and Gilli tells him he will. When Gilli returns to the inn, everyone cheers his name and congratulates him. Gilli just smiles as he takes a drink handed to him.**

Gwen smiled sadly. "He killed that man to try and earn the respect of the people…. He's right he is no killer."

Gaius sighs. "I fear Merlin was quite disappointed Gilli used his power in such a way…. It was lucky no one worked out he used magic or Uthur would have had him killed."

"Least he's going to pull out." Gwaine mutter. "A tournament like that is no place for people with any form of honour."

"He was winning only because of his magic," Percival adds. "He had an unfair advantage, no one was prepared to defend themselves against magic."

"He not going to withdraw," Tristan speaks up. "Look at how the people are treating him. That's what he wanted."

**Back in the castle Arthur watches Merlin sharpen his sword. He finally asks Merlin what he should do, if he fights his father the way he can, he will humiliate him or worse wound him or kill him. Merlin tells Arthur he has to let his father win, Arthur tells him he'll then have to pit up with the gloating and if he had any idea what it was like to live with a man he thought he was the best. The following day Arthur lets Uthur win the fight, whilst Merlin and Gaius watch from the side-lines.**

Leon glanced at Arthur. "You actually asked Merlin what you should do."

"Yes," Arthur answers. "I have asked for his advice before."

Gwaine snorts. "I do think Merlin knows what it feels like to live with someone who thinks they know best."

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur snaps.

"That was kind of you," Isolde smiles. "Letting your father win."

"There was little else I could do," Arthur answers. "I could not humiliate him in front of his people."

"Did Uthur really win Camelot, when he was you age?" Percival asks.

Arthur nodes. "He did."

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**After Merlin talks to Arthur, Gaius warns him he has to be careful of who he is fighting next, Merlin looks up to see Gilli fighting and looks quite annoyed. Gilli fights quite well and gains no injuries, but only wins because he used magic. Later back in Gaius's chambers, Gaius warns Merlin they have to tell the king, Gilli was using magic for his own gain and it was corrupting him. Merlin tells him to give him one more chance and quickly leaves to speak with Gilli.**

"He is a fool," Gaius speaks up. "He was using magic for his own gain."

Taliesin nodes. "That is how you get people like Sigan, they own desire for power corrupts them, just as it does to any man or women with great power. He fell prey to greed."

"Merlin defended him, even though he killed two people." Leon mutters. "Why?"

"Merlin always sees the goodness in people," Gaius answers. "He knew Gilli could use his power for great good and the benefit of other people. He knew all Gilli needed was a second chance, a chance to see who he truly was."

**Merlin goes down to the inn and finds him surrounded by people, as soon as Gilli spots Merlin, he stops talking and they go up to his room. Gilli explains how everyone respects him now and how Merlin couldn't know what that was like. Merlin turns, shuts the door and whispered a spell into his hand, holding out his hand Merlin has a small flame burning in the middle of his palm. Merlin then explains what it feels like to be more powerful than any man yet have to live like a shadow. After Gilli refuses to with draw Merlin has no idea what to do.**

Percival shakes his head. "No matter how good a fighter you are, you should never become vain."

Leon nodes his agreement. "It power, they need to have, that corrupts people and it has corrupted him."

"It must have been hard for Merlin to do that," Isolde sighs. "And then for Gilli to throw it back in his face."

Tristan nodes. "He had a gift and he was using it for his own selfish gain, when he should have been using it for the benefit of all."

"What Gilli said is a lie," Gaius speaks up. "Merlin has never forgotten who he is. He hides only because he must and he protected the king because if was killed by magic, it would only strengthen people's hate of it."

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**After trying to sleep, Merlin sneaks out and calls the great dragon. The dragon warn Merlin he must not let Uthur die at the hands of magic or Arthur will never accept magic back into the kingdom when he is king. He knows it is hard to watch one of your kin die, but something's demand sacrifices. The following day both Uthur and Gilli prepare for the fight. Arthur wished Uthur luck and both make their way to the field. Merlin watches as Gilli enter, he shakes his head, letting Gilli know he will not help him.**

"Would Merlin really sacrifice Gilli for the sake of the king?" Isolde asks.

Gaius nodes. "I believe he would, for if Uthur were to die in such a way Arthur would continue what Uthur started and all of Merlin's kin would be killed…. One life or thousands?"

Isolde nodes. "He would choose to save thousands and sacrifice one."

"He would," Gaius answers. "There are many times Merlin has been forced to make that choice and he feels the guilt of everyone he let die. But sometimes you cannot save them all."

Leon nodes. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made, to save more people in the long run and that is never easy…. It's like losing a battle to win the war."

"But what does it matter?" Tristan asks. "Uthur died at the hands of magic anyway."

**And so the fight starts. Gilli uses magic to trap Uthur's sword on the ground, but as he goes to strike the king, Merlin uses magic to make Gilli lose his shield. No matter what fight you are in you never strike an unarmed man. After Uthur gets his sword free, Gilli uses magic to disarm him. As Gilli knocks Uthur back onto the ground, he drives his sword through Uthur's shield and Merlin uses magic to keep it stuck. At last Uthur wins, bit he doesn't kill Gilli.**

"Thank god Merlin was using magic to aid the king," Elyan mutters. "I don't think he would have survived otherwise."

Percival nodes. "Using magic to fight was unfair on all those who couldn't use it or defend themselves from it."

Leon glances at the screen. "How did Uthur not notice magic being used right in front of him?"

Gwaine grins. "He had to focus on the fight, not if Gilli's eyes changed colour."

**After the fight Gilli goes back to the inn and begins to pack his things, Merlin appears and they talk. Gilli tells him, he had betrayed their kind and Merlin tells him it was actually him who had betrayed them. Gilli then understands why his father never used magic, he was not scared of magic, he** **was scared of what magic could do. Merlin promises him when magic is free their paths will cross again, because they are kin. Later that night, Uthur dines with Arthur and Morgana. Uthur admits he knew Arthur threw the fight and it proved he was truly ready to be king and Merlin just smiled. Later still when Gaius and Merlin shrill down to eat Gaius tells him he is proud of him and Merlin isn't sure why he hadn't really done any thing.**

"So it seems following Merlin's advice will make you a great king." Gwaine mutters. "No wonder the druids love him."

Arthur shakes his head. "There is a deference between giving advice and following it yourself."

"Uthur always knew what level you were at withal sword. He would often ask the knights you trained with and those who had trained you, he always wanted to know." Leon muttered.

Arthur smiled slightly. "I glad my father was proud of me."

"Only problem is," Percival mutters. "Morgana is going to be even more driven to destroy you after that."

Elyan nodes. "And Gwen, she is after all the person you love."

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**Hey hope you liked that. Sorry about the long wait, I went to visit by granddad for a week because he wasn't feeling well and wasn't able to write anything. Next chapter should be up soon,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	41. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty: War plans and visions.

The war council had gathered in the main hall, they were beginning to prepare for war. The spy they had working for Mordred had given them valuable information on the state of his army and some of the battle plans he was going to use in the up coming battle. He was going to attack in waves, unlike what many believed he would do. When Mordred had last gone to war his whole army had attacked as one, but this time he had split his army groups. It was a good plan, designed to weaken their defences and destroy them completely.

It was a well though out battle plan, it would allow Mordred to work out how strong they were and where their weakest point was, once he knew where the weakest point was he would focus all his attacks on that area. But Mordred failed to notice, they would be fighting from the air as well as the ground. This would only give them a moment of surprise, due to the fact Mordred a small army which was due to attack from the air, which would hopeful prove no match for the great dragon and his years of experience.

Alator sighed as he stood beside Iseldir at one end of the table, he was not pleased Merlin had managed to give his guards the slip. The Catha had trained those men and Merlin had slipped away from them, without even using magic! Alator shook his head, he should have known it was pointless... Merlin could escape from just about anything when he had to.

Beside Alator, Iseldir stood smiling slightly, he had received word that Merlin and Freya had married. It was great news for the druids, just the pleasant news they needed before they went to war. Hopefully if Merlin returned before the war started, they could hold a druid wedding and crowning. Many sorcerers would be pleased at the news too. Everyone enjoyed a wedding and druid weddings were well known for their celebrations.

"We," A councilman speaks up. "Will use Dinas Sicrhau, as an infirmary. The fort has been standing for hundreds of years and no one has ever been able to breach its walls, it is the safest place for the injured."

A second councilman nodes. "The rest of the army will have camps set up high in the mountains, out of the range of Mordred's army. We are relying on the druids to provide protection charms for those camps, just in case any of his army make it into the mountains. With the camps hidden and protected, they should not be easy targets from the air or the ground."

"We are already working on protection charms. But I regret to inform you many of the charms will not be able to be created until we reach the mountains," Iseldir answers. "The charms we will be using will be basic, but strong and fast to create…. Mordred will not waste his time or magic trying to destroy the camps, I fear his main focus will be on Dinas Sicrhau."

The second councilman nodes. "The fort will hold, but protection charms will have to be placed on upon it too. We still have no idea how strong Mordred truly is."

"From the plans we have from Mordred, most of the battle is going to be fought on the plain," A third councilman speaks up. "We will have to slit the army into sections, each section will be made up of men and women of similar powers and strength. This will hopefully allow us to fight the battle in a similar way to Mordred and keep our defences tight."

A fourth councilman shakes his. "No, if one area is made up of a weaker group of people Mordred will aim all his attacks there. It is better the powers and strengths are mixed, so all areas are made up of the same strength and skills."

"No, No, No," The third councilman argues. "That would weaken our defence. Mordred is going to attack in waves. Strongest first, weakest last. We must divide our army so our power can match that."

"I disagree." A fifth councilman speaks up.

"I agree." A sixth councilman yells.

Alator sighed this was going to be a long meeting, until they had decided how to arrange the army, no further plans could be made. The Catha were warriors and would be able to fight when ever and where ever. All had strong magic and a good knowledge of battle magic, but even they needed a battle plan and it took the Catha many days to come up with battle plans…. And they were only one magical group!

This was going to be one long war council meeting indeed.

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Merlin flipped a page over in the book he was reading, he had been in Avalon for almost a month now. A couple of days after he and Freya had married the Sidhe had delivered him some books, copies of the books he had been given back at the tower. This was the perfect opportunity to learn more about magic before he went back to mortal realm and a kingdom soon to be at war, if it wasn't at war already. Freya had learnt with him, her magic was quite strong but she hardly knew anything about magic, only basic druid teachings.

Merlin sighed…. Freya. He and Freya had, had their first argument and Freya was still refusing to talk to him. They had both been under a lot of stress, the Sidhe had taken it upon themselves to train them in the ways of the court. He knew most of it already, he had worked for Arthur for close to four years. But Freya had no idea about any of it, she found it quite confusing and Merlin couldn't blame her. Royals were trained from birth and she had a mouth and day before she returned with him.

And so they had an argument, it had been two days since then and Merlin had yet to apologize. He though Freya would simply get over it, it hadn't been that big a deal in Merlin's opinion, but it obviously was to Freya. Sighing Merlin tried to think of a way to make it up to her, he could just say he was sorry, but he had a feeling Freya wouldn't listen.

Actions speak louder and words, he remembered Gaius saying that. Maybe he could do something to make it up to her. Merlin sighed but what? He glanced out the window, it wasn't long until dawn. Merlin quickly got to his feet, he could get her breakfast in bed. Rushing out the door, Merlin smiled, he knew this was the perfect way to say he was sorry.

Reaching the kitchen Merlin quickly looked round. He grabbed a tray, a small bowl, a cup and a small vase. He quickly muttered a spell filling the small bowl with strawberries and smiled, he was glad he had practiced that spell for Freya, even if it had taken him months to master. Holding out his hand he muttered a second spell, creating a red rose which he placed in the vase. He filled the cup with water, quickly placed them all on the tray and hurried up to Freya's room.

As he approached Freya's door, Merlin muttered a spell and the door opened with a slight creak. Walking as silently as he could, Merlin placed the tray on the cabinet next to Freya's bed. He glanced at Freya who was still asleep, Merlin smiled, she looked so relaxed and not at all stressed like she had been over the last couple of weeks. Freya shifted in her sleep and Merlin quickly exited the room.

He stopped at the window at the end of the corridor and looked at the land before him. They had been given a small castle by beings of Avalon, it was a bit smaller than the castle of Fyrien and would be where Arthur stayed as he waited to return to the mortal realm, he was after all the once and future king. Merlin sighed, he and Freya would remain in human realm for most of the time and would only be allowed to return to Avalon, once every hundred years.

Merlin learnt his forehead against the cool glass, soon he would be going home, back to the mortal realm…. Back to a kingdom that was at war, back to a place where he would have to lead his people, to what could be their deaths…. All because he failed to kill Morgana and didn't listen to what people warned him about time and time again. And he knew he would fail again, he always saw the good in people and never the bad…. Well at least not until it was too late.

He could have stopped so many things from happening, if he had just let Morgana die after she fell down those steps. Or in the woods, when he battled her in the form of Dragoon, or even that night he sneaked into the castle to cast the spell to stop her magic. There were others too, if he had just killed them or let them die, so many people could have been saved. But it just wasn't his nature to kill people in cold blood.

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Hunith placed three steaming hot cups of tea down on the table, before taking her seat. Alice and Terrance quickly picked up their cups.

Hunith sighed. "When do you think Merlin will be back?"

"Soon," Alice answered. "He was only traveling to Avalon, no harm will come to him, of that I am sure."

"Why has Merlin gone to Avalon?" Terrance asks, glancing at the two of them.

"Because he's getting married," Alice answered. "Didn't he tell you?"

Terrance shakes his head. "When he visited me, yesterday, he was more worried about how I was. And that once I had recovered fully, he would teach me how to make other animals out of fire…. Oh and he gave me a spell book, all about fire spells and enchantment, he said he would teach me to read it and teach me to speak in the old tongue."

Hunith smiled. "Once this war is over, I'm sure Merlin will be able to teach you…."

"Merlin will be fine, Hunith," Alice sipped her tea. "If anyone is to survive this battle, it will be Merlin."

"But I cannot help but worry, he is my only son." Hunith answered. "I know he is immortal, but even immortality can be beaten…."

Alice reached over and gripped Hunith's hand. "Merlin will be fine…. His magic is strong, it will protect him. Gaius tells me, Merlin's magic acts on instinct and your natural instinct is to live…. Merlin may not know the full strength of his magic or how to wield that power, but his magic knows and it knows how to keep him alive."

"If something were to happen to him…."

"Hunith, Merlin has survived many things…. Things that no others have ever survived. He will be fine."

Terrance looks at Alice and Hunith. "When is Merlin coming back?"

"Soon," Hunith answered. "I hope. I don't think he'll stay in Avalon too long, he is needed back here."

Alice nodes. "He'll be back before the battle starts."

Terrance glances at them. "What will you be doing during the battle?"

Hunith smiled. "We will be at the fort, Dinas Sicrhau, I believe it is called."

"What will you be doing there?" Terrance asks.

"We," Alice replies. "Will be healing the injured."

"What about the dead?" Terrance asks.

Hunith and Alice share a look. And Alice finally answers. "After the battle is over, the dead will be laid to rest and the families will be able to say farewell to their loved ones."

"So you won't destroy the bodies like Uthur had done to my parents? He said no sorcerers should have marked graves and should just be destroyed."

Hunith sighed. "Everyone deserves to rest in peace, even the most evil of men."

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Freya opened her eyes as the pale light of dawn made it through her window, the sun had just risen and there was a slight chill in the air. Freya sighed as she slowly sat up, it had been a couple of days now since she and Merlin had argued and she still hadn't spoken to him. She hadn't meant to be that angry, she was just so stressed out and Merlin wasn't much better.

He said he would enjoy his time here while it lasted and he had been enjoying himself. But the fear he would be returning to a kingdom destroyed by Mordred, all because he was there to lead his people into battle or protect his family, still remained at the back of his mind. He was worried and frightened for the wellbeing of those he cared about. They were both under a lot of stress, but Freya couldn't just forgive him, even though she really wanted to. Her mother had always said she was stubborn at times.

Suddenly the scent of freshly picked strawberries filled her nose and she could also smell a hint of rose. Turning she found a bowl of strawberries, a single red rose in a vase and cup of water on a tray, on the cabinet beside her bed. She couldn't stop the smile that formed, even if she wanted too, she knew this was Merlin's way of saying sorry. She quickly got out of bed grabbed her cloths and quickly hurried behind a screen and changed.

Making her way back over to the cabinet beside her bed, she picked up the tray and walked over to the table near the window. Sitting down, she picked up one of the strawberries and took a bite. Whenever Merlin created strawberries with magic, they always tasted slightly different to naturally grown ones. Magic as much as it was a force of nature, the life blood of the earth, it just couldn't make things taste like true earth grown foods.

She glanced out the window, in a few days' time, she and Merlin would be returning to the mortal realm and she would become queen of the druids. Merlin had told her it was nothing to worry about, you simply had to care about the people and make the best decisions you could. But she was nervous, for most of her life before she meet Merlin people had run away from her…. Even the druids had cast her out and now she was to become their queen.

She traced the druid symbol on her fore arm and smiled slightly, her mother had a symbol much like it on her shoulder, but she always kept in hidden. Her family…. She was sure they would have loved Merlin and she knew her father would have given them his blessing. She just wished that her family were here to witness it. She glanced towards the door, Merlin had lost people too, people he cared about, people who had died to protect him, much like her mother had done for her. Freya picked up a second strawberry, it was the first time in a long time, that she felt like she truly belonged.

Suddenly there was a large crash from the corridor outside her room, Freya jumped to her feet so fast she knocked her chair to the floor. She picked up a long knife Merlin had given to her, he had told her when they returned to the mortal realm they would be at war and nowhere was safe, not even the tower. Slowly make her way over to the door, she listened for any further noise from the corridor, but there wasn't even the slightest whisper.

Pulling the door open, Freya slowly stepped out into the corridor and peered round. At the far end of the corridor below the window and inches from the steps that lead to the floor below, a figure was slumped against the wall. As Freya edged closer, she noticed in the pale light, that the person was breathing in slow, short, shallow breaths and their skin was far too pale to be healthy. Her heart stopped for a moment as she noticed whom the figure was.

"Merlin!" She gasped, dropping her long knife and running forward.

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Gilli walked towards the training grounds, his sword in one hand and a water skin in his other. Beside him walked Daegal, a medical bag slung over one shoulder and a set of throwing knives in his hands.

"I wonder where Merlin is." Daegal mutters. "I heard he slipped past the guards the Catha gave him, this morning and he hasn't been seen since."

Gilli glanced at the sky. "It must have been something important…. Maybe something happened in Camelot."

"Then why would he slip past the guards?" Daegal asks. "If something had happened in Camelot, he would have just taken them with him."

Gilli shakes his head. "Merlin would never endanger their lives like that…. Where ever he has gone it must be dangerous or he would have taken people with him."

"How can you be so sure?" Daegal replies.

"I've known Merlin for just over a year now and I have never known him to risk anyone life but his own…. He would face a whole army on his own, if it would stop others from getting hurt."

Daegal nodes. "So where ever he has gone he is in danger?"

"More than likely." Gilli replies.

"Aren't you worried?"

Gilli shakes his head. "No, I didn't find out that long ago, but Merlin is the last dragon lord. Where ever he is, he has the aid of the dragons…. He'll be perfectly safe."

Tyr suddenly appeared beside them, making both Daegal and Gilli jump.

Tyr smiled. "Have you heard? Merlin's gone to Avalon!"

"What!?" Gilli exclaimed. "Only the dead go to Avalon!"

"Merlin's dead!" Daegal yelled.

Tyr glances round before speaking. "I think its best Sefa tells you. Her father is part of the druid council and knows all about what happened to Merlin."

"What has happened to Merlin?" Gilli asks, cautiously.

"He got married." Tyr answers.

"What!?" Both Daegal and Gilli exclaim.

"Why didn't he tells us?" Gilli demands.

"Sefa said it was quite short notice." Tyr explained. "That's why Merlin went to Avalon, to get married."

Gilli nodes. "I think its best Sefa explains, because right not this is making no sense…. Only the dead can travel to Avalon and Merlin isn't dead."

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One moment he had been standing looking out a window, the next he was falling and his word went black before he hit the ground. Merlin took a step back as he looked around, he was in the middle of a battle field…. Well what was once a battle field. It reminded him of his dream, but it wasn't the same. Mordred the dark's crest hung on many of the flags, but on others were the crest of the druids.

This battle hadn't happened yet, or maybe it had Merlin realised, he had no idea how long he had been gone from the mortal realm. This could be the state of the realm in which he had left and he hadn't been there to lead his people to war. He sunk to his knees, he should never have come to Avalon, he should have waited until the battle was over. Freya wouldn't have known any different and nor would he.

"Do not fret, Emrys." A voice behind him speaks. "This is what will come to pass, if you fail to heed my warning."

Merlin looked round, a women stood not far from him, dressed in armour. "Who are you?"

"I am Abnoba, Emrys."

"As in the goddess Abnoba?"

Abnoba smiled. "Correct."

"Why are you here?" Merlin finally asked.

"To warn you of things that are yet to come to pass," Abnoba waves a hand at the world around them. "This will come to pass, if you fail to understand the importance of the things I am about to show you."

Merlin stood thinking for a moment. "I have seen the future before and nothing good came from knowing…. I tried to stop the future and I caused it to happen, what if this is the same?"

"It is not," Abnoba answers. "This is what will happen, not matter what power you use, if you fail to understand what I am to show you…. I am not showing you the future, I am showing you what you need to know in order to win and save your people, your kin and your friends."

Before Merlin can answer the world around them fades away, but is soon replaced by image of a mountain, Merlin glanced round, behind him was a narrow cannon, no doubt the path to this place and before him was door way leading into the mountain, strange runes carved into the stone above the entrance.

Then suddenly Merlin was standing, in a large underground city, the place was long dead and there was no life here.

Shivering Merlin, found himself in a narrow passage and glanced up and almost fell backwards, hundreds of skulls hung on ropes and in the darkness seemed to glow a pale grey.

It was soon replaced by what could easily be mistaken for a Greek temple, above the entrance a crest was carved into the stone…. The crest of Mordred the dark.

Suddenly he was in a mighty hall of dark stone with a grey stone table in the centre. The table is covered in dried blood, the chains that lie on the floor beside it were old and rusting.

Once again the images change, a large crimson coloured stone comes into view, mounted in a staff of black wood, Merlin could feel the power radiating off it and the power was corrupted.

The images changed again, this time Mordred was using the staff to raise his army, from the depths of the earth, the magic from the stone giving them life and power.

And then there was only darkness.

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Sefa sat down beside Kara, as they watched Eira train with Bercilak. Eira was quite good with a sword, much better than most thought she was, but not many could beat Bercilak with a sword and Eira was no exception.

Kara turned to Sefa. "I heard from Tyr this morning that you had told him Merlin has gone to Avalon, I thought mortals could only go to Avalon when they died?"

Sefa nodes. "Mortals do only go to Avalon when they're dead, there is no mortal gateway. But Merlin's magic means he's not a true mortal…. He's a creature of the old religion, creatures of the old religion are not truly mortal."

"So why did he go to Avalon?" Kara asks.

"Yeah," Eira agrees. "Why did he go?"

Sefa looks up to find both Eira and Bercilak standing before. "I think its best we wait until the others get here, I don't want to have to explain this more than once."

Bercilak nodes. "I have heard Merlin travelled to Avalon to form an alliance, is that true?"

Sefa nodes. "I'll explain once the others get here."

They did have to wait long, as soon as Gilli spotted Sefa he run over, quickly followed by Daegal and Tyr.

"Is it true?" Gilli demands. "Did Merlin go to Avalon?"

Sefa nodes. "It is. Since Merlin restored the kingdom, the Sidhe have wanted to create an alliance. For a long time they have wanted an alliance between the two worlds, but no has ever been powerful enough to create a mortal gateway…. Merlin has that power and so the Sidhe offered an alliance, to which Merlin agreed."

"So that's why Merlin has gone to Avalon to create the mortal gateway and to gain alliance?" Eira asks.

Sefa nodes. "Yes, but after the druids demanded a druid queen, Iseldir travelled to the lake of Avalon and demanded an audience with the Sidhe elders. He asked them to change what they and Merlin agreed, Merlin was to marry a being from Avalon…. The lady of the lake. The Sidhe agreed, so Merlin travelled there this morning."

Kara shock her head. "Merlin doesn't seem the type to marry without love."

Sefa smiled. "The lady of the lake and Merlin Emrys are in love. Her name is Freya, when she died she became the lady of the lake and a being of Avalon."

"But how can Merlin travel there is he isn't dead?" Daegal asks.

"Merlin is a creature of the old religion, he isn't completely mortal…. Also in the druid tongue, Emrys means immortal. Many believe Merlin is immortal."

Bercilak thinks for a moment. "How will Freya become queen of the druids and Merlin's wife if she is dead?"

"The Sidhe," Sefa answers. "Have granted her a mortal body."

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Freya sat beside the bed Merlin was now lying on, since she had found him at the end of the corridor unconscious she had barely left his side. She had used magic to get them both back to their shared bedroom, before she had quickly gone in search of help. Being unable to find anyone, Freya had returned to his side and checked him to see if he was ill. Finding he had a slight fever, she had set about treating it.

She removed the damp cloth from Merlin's forehead and felt to see if the slight fever had gone down. She couldn't help but worry, he had been out cold for hours now and showed no sign of waking. She rested her head on the bed beside Merlin and shut her eyes, she didn't know what else to do…. Merlin had never passed out like this before and she had sensed no magic, so no one had attacked him.

"Please Merlin," she whispered. "If you can hear me, please wake up."

She reached and griped Merlin's hand in both of hers, not even bothering to look up. Merlin had taught her how to see with magic and she could see the bright gold that surrounded him and it was strong. It proved whatever was wrong with him had no effect on his magic and his magic was his very being, so he wasn't dying.

Suddenly Merlin groaned and his hand twitched slightly in Freya's grip. Freya sat up so fast, she almost lost her balance.

"Merlin?" She asks softly.

Merlin's eyes flickered open and he turned to look at her. "Freya?"

"Merlin!" Freya exclaimed pulling him into a hug. "You're okay!"

Merlin smiled slightly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You passed out," Freya explained, pulling back and checking Merlin over quickly. "You been unconscious for hours."

Merlin suddenly went pale, much like he was when Freya first found him. "I remember now."

"Remember what?" Freya asked.

"I had a vision," Merlin explained. "It's the first time I've had one, without using a crystal."

"Why were you unconscious for so long, then?"

"Visions are powerful," Merlin answers. "It is not uncommon for sorcerers to have them, when most have a vision they pass out or have them in their sleep like seers do…. The magic used in visions are closely linked to your natural instincts, which are part of your subconscious."

Freya nodes. "What did you see?"

"I'm not sure," Merlin sighs. "It was just images and none of them seemed to link to each other, yet I know somehow they do and once I work it out, that will be our way to beat Mordred the dark."

"You'll work it out," Freya smiles. "And thank you for breakfast this morning."

Merlin smiles and cups Freya cheek with his hand. "You're welcome and I am sorry, I should never have yelled like I did the other day."

Freya looked down. "I'm sorry too."

Merlin leaned forward and lifted her chin up, before capturing her lips with his own.

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**Hey hope you liked that, next up is the coming of Arthur part one and two, it should be up soon, until then,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	42. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-one: The coming of Arthur part one and part two.

Arthur sat down beside Gaius. "Why did Merlin try and save Uthur? That day he knew what would happen if he failed, so why did he do it?"

Gaius glances at Arthur. "Merlin knew how much your father meant to you. He knew you would be distraught, he tried to spare you the pain."

Arthur nodes. "But he knew if he couldn't save Uthur, he would only enforce the distrust I had in magic…. The great dragon even told him: That for me to see my father die at the hands of magic, would threaten the future of Albion."

"Merlin believed he could save Uthur, he knew if he did, it would help him and all his kin…. He just was not prepared for your uncles' betrayal."

"That's how he knew my uncle betrayed me, wasn't it?"

Gaius nodes. "When I found the amulet around Uthur's neck, I knew there was a traitor in Camelot…. As you can guess it didn't take Merlin long to work out it was your uncle."

Arthur looked at the ground. "I led my best friend to the pyre, ordered his arrest and told him how evil magic was…. How did Merlin face me every day, knowing I hated his kind and could have killed him, if I ever found out?"

"Merlin knew the risks and he was willing to take them. You are his friend…. Even now, if you were to get into trouble Merlin would come to your aid. If Camelot where to be attacked, he would try and save her. He will always be your friend, there is little you could do that would change that."

Arthur glanced at Gaius. "Why? What have I done to deserve such loyalty? I have helped kill hundreds of his kin, by order of the king…. Even when I became king, sorcerers were still killed…. Why did he continue to stand at my side?"

"Because Merlin trusts you," Gaius answers. "He trusts in your destiny. He trusts in your friendship. To Merlin you are like family and Merlin will always protect his family."

Arthur sighed. "I owe Merlin so much…. He's risked his life so many times and asked for nothing in return."

Gaius smiled. "Merlin will never ask for anything in return. You simply have to let him know all the sacrifices he has made, have not been in vain."

"But what should I do?" Arthur asked. "If I ever told the council, it was Merlin who killed my father, they would…. I hate to think what they would do."

"Then it's probably best you don't tell them, my lord." Gaius replied.

Arthur laughed. "You sound like Merlin."

Gaius smiled. "Just let Merlin know, you forgive him. Merlin has been haunted by that day, the guilt he feels is almost overwhelming."

Taliesin coughs getting everyone's attention. "We must continue watching. In two days time you must return to Camelot, king Sarrum has demanded council with you…. A matter of great importance, I have heard."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**The forest was almost in complete darkness and there was hardly a sound in the air. Camelot soldiers lay dead on the forest floor, among them is Sir Leon. Back in Camelot Arthur hands Uthur the remains of a Camelot cloak, telling him it was Cenred who sent it. The knights had entered his land and that was not aloud. Arthur tells Uthur everyone was killed. Back in the forest, hooded figures approach the fallen patrol. One of them stop beside Sir Leon and quickly calls the others over. They quickly pick him up and take him back to their home, where he is healed by drinking from the cup of life.**

Tristan shakes his head. "Cenred is a hostile man…. We often feared having to smuggle goods across his borders."

Isolde nodes her agreement. "It was not only your kingdom he hated. All kingdoms he had a border with, he was hostile towards…. He just hated Uthur the most."

"He killed almost everyone," Gwen mutters. "Only because they crossed a border. They did no harm to his kingdom."

Arthur glances at Gwen. "A patrol crossing the border like that could be seen as an act of war."

"Well," Gwaine mutters. "His army did take over Camelot, thanks to Morgana and Morgause."

"What happened to Cenred?" Leon asks. "He was alive before the immortal army attacked, but no word of him was heard afterwards."

"It is possible," Gaius speaks up. "That he became immortal like the rest of his army and when the army was destroyed, he too perished."

Leon shakes his head. "No, only Morgana and Morgause were in Camelot…. It was Cenred army, but they did not march under his crest."

**Sometime later in Camelot, Sir Leon has returned, alive and well. He tells the council that the druids healed him and Uthur begins to question him. Merlin looks up and starts paying attention as soon as he hears the druids mentioned. Sir Leon tells Uthur they used some sort of cup to heal him, Morgana looks up at this. Uthur tells Leon he must rest, so Leon, Arthur, Uthur, Gaius and Merlin go to Leon's room in the knights' wing. Arthur stays with Leon as he rests, Gaius and Uthur leave, soon followed by Merlin. Gaius tells Uthur he believed Leon was healed by the cup of life, Merlin looks up alarmed and Uthur tells Gaius they must get the cup before Cenred does.**

"The druids," Percival mutters. "Are brave. They healed Leon knowing, he would return to Camelot and tell Uthur what happened."

Gwaine nodes. "Uthur could have sent other knights there to hunt them down. Uthur has been known to do that before."

"Your father should have left the cup alone," Gaius speaks. "The druids are powerful. Not many would have been able to take the cup, if they didn't want them to have it."

Leon sighs. "I will always be thankful to them, for saving me…. They could have left me to die."

"The druids help all those in need," Gaius answers. "They practice magic for the good of all and help all those in need."

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**Later that night, Merlin and Gaius talk. Merlin was sure the cup of life had been destroyed when he battled Nimueh. Gaius informs him that the cup can never be destroyed and that Uthur fears it, because the cup can be used for great evil as well as great good. He tells Merlin a warlord once placed a drop of blood from each of his men in the cup, and they became immortal where they stood. If the cup were to fall into the hands of Morgana and Morgause, Camelot would be all but lost.**

"So that's why the army were immortal," Isolde mutters. "I simply thought they used a spell to make themselves immortal."

"The power the cup of is bound to the old religion," Gaius explains. "It holds the power over life and death and like all magic it can be used for evil as well as good."

Elyan glanced at Gaius. "Merlin used the cup to save Isolde. But where did he get it from? It was lost with Morgana and Morgause."

"I believe Merlin returned it to the druids, but I do not know for sure," Gaius answers. "He may have returned it to the isle of the blessed, few people dare set foot there."

Arthur sighs. "But can Merlin keep in protected? If it fell into the wrong hands…."

"Merlin Emrys is more than capable of protecting the cup," Taliesin speaks up. "Not many know where the cup is hidden and those who know don't have the power to retrieve it."

**Uthur summons his son and tells him, he must get the cup from the druids and return it to Camelot. He also tells Arthur, he must tell no one of his quest and he must go alone. Both of them are unaware that Morgana was listening in on their conversation, as Arthur returns to his room, Morgana quickly leaves her hiding place and walks away. Back in Arthur's room, Merlin is complaining about the fact he doesn't know where they are going. Arthur tells him, if he told him, he'd have to kill him.**

Gwaine laughs. "Your quest is going to stay secret for a long time Arthur, it's not like Morgana would tell anyone!"

Arthur sighs. "We didn't know she was there and we didn't know she was a traitor."

"Did your father really distrust anyone?" Percival asks. "He would risk the life of his only son, to retrieve the cup, which was in an enemy kingdom."

"Uthur trusted no one," Gaius answers. "There were matters he would not even speak to me about…. He feared people would turn against him."

Arthur sighs. "If we had not taken the cup from the druids, would Cenred have gotten it?"

Taliesin shakes his head. "The only reason they gave it to you, was because they trusted Emrys to keep it safe. If Merlin had not been with you, they would never have handed it over."

Arthur nodes. "So if my father had listened to Gaius, Cenred would never have got the cup and Morgana would never have become queen."

"Morgana would have taken her place on the throne with or without the aid of the cup. Some fates cannot be avoided."

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**Morgana meets Morgause, she tells her about the cup. Morgause quickly informs Morgana of its power and that with it, Camelot would be theirs. Morgana tells her that the druids have the cup and that their cave lies within Cenred's kingdom. Morgause tells Morgana they have use of Cenred once more, his spies were everywhere and Arthur would lead them straight to the cup. The following morning Arthur and Merlin ride out of Camelot and Morgana watches them go.**

Leon shakes his head. "How could hate and fear change a person so much?"

"Morgause had a lot of influence over Morgana," Gaius answers. "If Morgana had not spent a year in Morgause's care I doubt she would have become so corrupted and hateful."

Tristan nodes. "You also have to think about what Merlin poisoning her must have been like…. He was the only person she trusted with her magic and he poisoned her."

"But Morgana knew what she was doing," Gwaine answered. "She had betrayed Camelot."

Gaius shakes his head. "I fear Morgana didn't know she was the source of the sleeping enchantment, maybe if she had..."

"It would have made no difference," Taliesin speaks up. "Morgana choose to betray Camelot."

Percival nodes. "She already wanted Uthur dead, nothing would have changed that."

**Arthur and Merlin travel through Camelot towards Cenred's kingdom, but are unaware that they have been spotted by one of Cenred's spies. The spy returns to Cenred and informs him and Morgause of the direction Arthur was heading. Back in the forest Merlin works out they are going to Cenred's kingdom and asks Arthur what their quest is. Arthur replies if he told him he'd have to be killed. Merlin replies it doesn't matter, he more than likely going to die anyway. As Arthur tells them they won't run in to any trouble both of them are knocked out with darts.**

Elyan shakes his head. "Cenred is like Morgause's puppet, he does everything she tells him to."

"It wouldn't surprise me if Morgause kills him, after she gets the cup," Percival agrees. "She would have no further use for him."

Leon nodes. "Then both she and Morgana would have a kingdom of their own to rule and an army which couldn't be killed."

"I think you'll find they can be killed," Gwaine grins. "We beat them and that was no doubt due to Merlin."

Gwen shakes her head. "You shouldn't have gone, Arthur, it was far too dangerous."

"I had to go, Gwen," Arthur replies. "It was my duty to protect Camelot, and at the time that seemed the best way to protect the kingdom."

Gwaine grins. "So that's how you ended up in that pit…. I had always wondered how they managed to knock princess out without leaving a mark."

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur snaps.

"What pit?" Percival asks.

"You'll see." Gwaine grins.

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**Merlin wakes up to find himself surrounded by men and a very annoyed Arthur. After Merlin is pulled to his feet by Arthur, he is greeted by Gwaine. After Gwaine tells them how he ended up here, Arthur asks where here is. Gwaine tells him, it's an old castle a slave trader, Jarl, uses. Jarl soon appears and demands to know which man will fight against his champion next, after no one volunteers, Jarl chooses Merlin. Arthur quickly takes his place, Jarl agrees, but warns him if he loses he'll feed Merlin to the crows. Gwaine steps forward as the champion, much to the surprise of Arthur and Merlin.**

Gwaine grins. "I doubt you could kill me princess, we all know you don't have the skill."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "I can beat you, Gwaine."

"I have heard of Jarl," Percival speaks up, before Arthur and Gwaine get into a fight. "He was known for raiding villages and taking every able-bodied person, to sell as slaves."

Leon nodes. "He took many people from the outlying regions…. Uthur was forced to increase the patrols."

Elyan grinned. "You seemed so surprised that Gwaine was the champion."

Arthur sighs. "I wasn't surprise as such…. More like…. Disappointment, I would have had to kill Gwaine in order for Merlin to live."

"We all know you would have killed me, princess." Gwaine speaks up. "I would have let you, if you had died, so would Merlin."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "I'm glad you were not forced to make that choice."

**Back in Cenred's castle, Morgause is quite annoyed, Cenred's man had lost Arthur. Cenred informs Morgause that they were taken by the slave trader, Jarl. Morgause warns Cenred that he better find Arthur before leaving. Back in Jarl's hide out, Arthur and Gwaine have been forced to fight, whilst Merlin is being held by Jarl's men. Arthur and Gwaine fight, but as it becomes clear neither of them are going to win, Merlin uses magic to start a fire. As the men panic, Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine escape. Once they stop to get their breath back, Merlin tells Gwaine they are looking for the cup of life and Gwaine offers to help.**

Leon glances at Gwaine. "You could have waited until Arthur was paying attention, before you attacked."

Gwaine smiles. "If I had not used that to my advantage, Jarl would have guessed something was wrong…. As far as Jarl was concerned only Merlin and the princess knew each other."

Elyan shakes his head. "How long were you there for?"

"A couple of weeks," Gwaine answers. "No one lasts more than a month."

Percival shakes his head. "You would have killed each other, if it wasn't for Merlin using magic…. Which was a great risk on Merlin's part, slave traders are known to catch people with magic, and they sell for a much higher price."

Tristan nodes. "It not just people like Uthur and Sarrum who buy those with magic…. Many warlords buy those with magic, to use them as weapons."

Gwen shivers. "No person, no matter what their power, should be used as a weapon."

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**Back in the slave traders hide out, Jarl is furious, he had been made a fool of. One of his man brings forward the bag Arthur had on him when he was caught and Jarl works out he was a prince. Back in the forest Gwaine and Arthur are arguing who would have won the fight and Merlin gets annoyed and tells them neither of them would have won and if wasn't for the fire they'd all be dead. Jarl informs Cenred that he was sure he had caught Arthur, gives them proof and tells them were Arthur was heading. After Jarl asks for money and Morgause kills him.**

Isolde shakes her head. "Jarl was a bad man to get on the wrong side of…. He left us alone mostly, due to the fact we agreed to smuggle for him."

"We escaped," Gwaine grins. "Not many can say they escaped from the slave trader Jarl."

"You could all have been killed." Leon points out.

Elyan nodes. "Jarl wouldn't rest until he had both your heads mounted on stakes."

"Good thing Morgause killed him then," Tristan mutters. "He was a cruel man."

Gaius sighs. "The trouble you seem to get into…. Merlin's poor mother would have a heart attack if she heard about half the trouble Merlin gets into."

"I'm sure Hunith knows all about Merlin's adventures," Gwen smiles. "He does not seem like one to lie to his own mother."

Percival nodes. "He cares about her more than anyone else."

**Back in the forest Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine have found the druids' cave. The three of them enter the druids' cave, the place is filled with candles, but there are no druids in sight. Arthur suddenly spots a cloth move and pulls a child out from under it. He asks the child where the cup is, but the child**** doesn't answer. Merlin warns Arthur to let the child go and Arthur only looks up when he notices the druids have surround them. Arthur draws his sword and holds it over the child's throat. Iseldir tells Arthur there is no need for violence and gives Arthur the cup, but as Arthur takes it Iseldir warns him and as they leave, Iseldir speaks to Merlin telepathically.**

"Arthur!" Gwen gasps. "He was only a child!"

Arthur glanced at Gwen, but she wouldn't meet his eye. "I know, but I had to get the cup."

"He was a child, Arthur!" Gwen almost yelled. "He may not have even known were the cup was! What if they hadn't given you the cup? Would you have killed him?"

"Guinevere!" Arthur gaps. "I would never kill a child!"

"Yet you threaten one!" Gwen answers. "That poor child must have been so frightened."

Elyan turns to Gaius. "Couldn't he speak out loud?"

"Druids mostly talk telepathically," Gaius answers. "But he would have known how to talk, he may have been too scared to."

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**As Merlin, Gwaine and Arthur head back through the forest, Merlin asks if the cup wasn't safer with the druids and Arthur tells Merlin the safest place for it was the vaults of Camelot. Merlin knew they had to get it there first and unknown to them they were being watched by Cenred and his men. As they approach the border to Camelot, Arthur notices that the forest is completely silent and before they can react Cenred's men ambush them. As they run, Arthur is shot and falls to the ground. Merlin uses magic to knock the soldiers away from him and in the process the cup is lost and found by Cenred's men. Merlin hears Gwaine call him and knows he cannot go after them.**

"You should have left the cup with the druids." Tristan mutters. "It would have been safe with them."

Arthur sighs. "I know, but I could not go against my father's orders."

Percival shakes his head. "Why do you always seem to get injured? Gwaine and Merlin both escaped without injury."

"I don't know," Arthur mutters. "Maybe because I was the crown prince and also happened to be the person who had the cup."

Gwaine rolls his eyes. "Just admit it, you wouldn't survive a week without Merlin protecting you!"

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "I've survived since Merlin left."

"Only because we've been in this cave full of magic for most of the time!" Gwaine answers.

Elyan, Leon and Percival all sigh, everyone knew Arthur wouldn't live long without Merlin's protection…. Too many people wanted him dead.

**Later that night in the forest within Camelot's borders, Merlin and Gwaine have made a small camp and check Arthur's wound. Merlin works out it was poisoned and Arthur has a fever, Gwaine still doesn't understand why the cup is so important and Merlin tells him it's a powerful weapon. Back at Cenred's castle, Morgause places a drop of blood from each of Cenred's men in the cup, turning them immortal. Back in Camelot Uthur orders Sir Leon to take a patrol and find Arthur, he had been gone too long. Once Leon leaves the hall, Morgana comforts Uthur, before smirking.**

Gaius smiles as Merlin checks Arthur wound and works out it was poisoned. "With the right training, Merlin will make a fine physician. And with the help of Alice, his knowledge in the healing aspects of magic will be one of the greatest."

Gwen smiles. "It must be hard for Merlin…. He could not learn magic in Camelot, yet he had to fight people like Morgause, who have been trained to use magic for most of their lives."

"That is where Merlin had the advantage," Gaius answers. "No ever suspected him of magic, and in turn all those who attacked don't expect magic to stop them…. If Morgause had known a sorcerer protected Arthur, she would have used spells much more complex and harder to break."

Elyan shakes his head. "Cenred had no conscience, he knew everyone would be slaughtered by his army."

"The battle would be won before it even began." Percival agrees.

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**Back in the forest, Arthur is still suffering from a high fever and Merlin asks Gwaine to go and get more fire wood. After Gwaine has gone, Merlin tries some healing spells, but they have little to no effect. Back in Cenred's castle, Cenred and Morgause watch as the immortal army marches towards Camelot. Morgause no longer having a use for Cenred orders one of his men to kill him, she made them immortal and now they only answered to her. **

Gaius sighs. "A spell as basic as that would never heal an injury such as Arthur suffered... But it was the best he could do, without knowing the poison used, no spell would have worked."

Taliesin nodes. "Any other spells could have done more damage than good."

"Looks like Cenred finally worked out Morgause was only using him." Percival mutters.

Elyan nodes. "But a bit too late."

**The following day, Leon and the patrol see the army marching towards Camelot and return to the woods, but as they return they're attacked by the immortals, only Leon gets away, after finding out they are immortal. Arthur finally wakes up, much to his annoyance the cup has gone. Arthur knows they have to get back to Camelot, but with his injury its going to take time. Back in Camelot Leon tells Uthur what he saw and Uthur orders the war council to be gathered. Leon quickly tells Uthur that the army are immortal, they cannot be killed. After everyone is dismissed, Uthur asks Gaius how Cenred could have known about the cup, Gaius tells him they have a traitor whilst glancing at smirking Morgana.**

Leon shakes his head. "I hope I never see an army such as that again…. It was even worse than the skeletons."

"No one will get the cup as long as Merlin is alive." Taliesin speaks.

Arthur looks at Taliesin. "So if someone were to kill Merlin, they could get the cup?"

"If someone managed to kill Merlin," Taliesin answers, glancing at Gaius. "They would still have to find the cup."

Gwaine rolls his eyes. "Only you princess could be think being unconscious was an excuse."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

Percival glances at Gaius. "Why did Uthur order the army to prepare, everyone would have been better off leaving the city."

"Uthur had a lot of pride, to him a battle isn't over until the last man dies…. He would not abandon his kingdom, not without a fight."

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**Camelot's army prepares for battle, as the immortal army gather outside the city. Gwen watches from the window in Morgana's chamber, Morgana soon appears. Morgana tells Gwen that those who embrace change will not be killed and Gwen tells Morgana she has always been loyal to Morgana. Elsewhere the following day, Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine are still a days march from Camelot. They find a village that has been completely destroyed and a Camelot patrol that has been slaughtered. Even though Merlin knows who has done this, he says nothing, finally Arthur works out what's happened.**

Gwen shivers slightly. "I will always be loyal to you Arthur…. I just couldn't let Morgana know."

Arthur takes Gwen hand. "I understand, Gwen, I would rather you lied like that and lived, than to have told her you were loyal to me and be one of the first to die."

"An immortal army," Isolde mutters. "Those villages didn't stand a chance."

Tristan nodes. "Many wouldn't have even known how to use a sword let alone how to kill a mortal man."

"Or the patrol." Percival adds. "They could fight, but even their weapons were useless against the immortals."

"Nobody stood a chance," Leon mutters. "There is only one weapon I know that can kill the immortal…. The sword Excalibur, but we didn't have it."

**At last Camelot comes into view, smoke raises from the city in large columns of smoke and some fires are still burning. As Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine made their way towards the city, they pass many dead knights, soldiers and guards. They enter the lower town to find it in ruins, they make their way to Gwen house and find Elyan there. Elyan tells them what happened and that Gwen was in the citadel when it was taken. And so Arthur starts to make his way to the castle, followed by Gwaine. Merlin and Elyan who are a little further behind talk about how long Arthur will be able to keep going for.**

Gwaine shakes his head. "I hope I never see anything like that again... They were slaughtered where they stood."

"No one had ever taken the citadel before," Arthur adds. "Once inside the citadel you are trapped…. The only way out are the siege tunnels and not many people know about them."

Percival shakes his head. "It couldn't have been easy to find your kingdom in such a state of ruin and know there was nothing you could do to stop it."

Gwaine pats Percival arm. "Good thing Merlin came up with a plan then, immortal armies don't just vanish into dust."

Gaius sighs. "I don't know whether Merlin was just stupid or quite brave…. Not many would have risked what he did."

"Lancelot helped him, didn't he?" Percival asks. "He was the only one who knew about Merlin's magic."

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**Merlin, Arthur, Elyan and Gwaine make their way into the castle, hiding and slipping past the immortals on guard. As they make their way down a hallway littered with dead soldiers, Arthur struggles to keep standing. So Merlin sends Elyan and Gwaine to check the dungeons for Gwen and the others, while he takes Arthur to Gaius's chamber. After making it to Gaius's chamber, Merlin hears a noise from one of the cupboards and picks up Arthur sword. He pulls up the door to find Gaius hiding, the two quickly greet each other with a hug, before trying to treat Arthur's injury. **

Gwaine grins. "How does it feel to be bossed around by Merlin, princess?"

Arthur glared at Gwaine. "You and Elyan followed his orders too."

"Yeah," Gwaine grins. "Because we knew what he said was a better plan than you would ever be able to come up with."

Elyan quickly speaks up noticing Arthur's expression. "To me honest, sire, you were in no fit state at the time…. You were injured and only just standing on your own."

Isolde smiles at Gaius. "You were quite shocked to see Merlin."

"I feared he was dead," Gaius answers. "There was no way Cenred could have got the cup from the druids…. That meant he must have got it off Arthur. Cenred would and did order for them to be killed, I feared I would never see Merlin again."

Gwen nodes her agreement. "I feared Arthur was dead, if he had been found by a patrol or returned to Camelot, he would have been killed."

**Down in the dungeons Elyan and Gwaine watch as Uthur is dragged away by some immortal guards. Back in Gaius's chamber, Merlin is up in his room packing his bag, he packs the gift from the fisher king. Upon returning to the main chamber, Merlin approaches Gaius and Arthur just as Arthur downs a potion. Elyan and Gwaine suddenly burst through the door and tell Arthur where Uthur has been taken, Arthur tells them to take Gaius and flee into the woods and Merlin refuses to go with them. Merlin and Arthur make their way through the castle towards the throne room. They watch from the balcony above the throne room as Uthur is forced to his knees and Morgana is crowned queen.**

Leon glances at Elyan and Gwaine. "How did you not get caught? Before Gwen helped me escape, there were guards on ever entrance to the dungeons, even the entrance from the dragons cave was guarded."

Gwaine grins. "Immortal guards it seems, as just as stupid as normal ones."

"We just throw a rock down the opposite corridor," Elyan explained. "And they all run off to find out what the noise was."

Leon rolled his eyes. "That's almost as bad as our guards…. We really have to work on training the guards when we return to Camelot."

"Merlin would still be able to get past them," Percival points out. "And so would any prisoners with magic."

"I just couldn't believe Morgana would betray us in such a way," Arthur mutters. "Finding out she was my sister also…."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "It was her choice."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy his name…. Merlin.**

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**Leon is being pulled along a corridor by some immortal guards. He is marched into the council chamber and forced to his knees before Morgana, but he refuses to swear loyalty to her, he would rather die. He is then dragged back out of the council chamber and back to the dungeons. Out in the forest Merlin out runs a couple of immortals on patrol, before entering the cave he and the others are using as a hide out. He hands the supplies he got to Elyan and walks over to Gaius and warns him they have to do something, Morgana's men are everywhere. On the other side of the cave Arthur is sulking.**

"She ruled with fear," Gwen mutters. "She tried to scare people into being loyal to her…. If she truly wanted the people to respect her, she should have shown them she was different to Uthur."

Leon shakes her head. "I don't think the people would have been loyal to her, even if she had tried to rule differently to Uthur. She used an immortal army to gain control by force, people would never have trusted her."

"Merlin volunteered to get the supplies," Gwaine mutters. "But one of us should have gone with him, he only just managed to escape the immortals on patrol."

Elyan shakes his head. "It would have been no use, to try and kill them wouldn't have worked. Merlin was right, he was the fastest runner and knew the forest better than us."

"And if the worst came to the worse, Merlin could have used magic to get rid of them," Percival adds. "He would not have been able to if you were with him."

**Back in Camelot, the knights have been lined up in the court yard, Morgana stands on the balcony overlooking the court yard. As the knights refuse to swear alliance, Morgana orders for the citizens watching to be shot. Later as the bodies are being removed from the court yard, Morgana goes to see Uthur in the dungeons. Uthur demands to know why she is doing this, killing innocent people. She tells him he should understand, after all he killed many people who were innocent.**

Gaius sighs. "She hated Uthur and how he killed so many innocent people, yet what she did is no difference…. I still find in hard to believe that the sweet, kind young lady, could turn so cold and heartless."

"She believed she was doing the right thing," Isolde speaks up. "She was trying to free those with magic…. She just went about it the wrong way. All she did was make people fear magic more."

Gwen nodes. "She demanded loyalty, she did not earn it."

"The knights will always be loyal to you Arthur," Leon proclaims. "No matter what happen we will always be loyal to you."

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**Back in the cave Merlin and the others are hiding in, Merlin tries to convince Arthur to eat. After Arthur tells him to leave him alone, Merlin tells Arthur it is his duty to save his father and his people. Arthur simply tells him an immortal army cannot be beaten and Merlin answers they don't know until they try. Back in Camelot, Gwen is still working as Morgana's maid servant. Morgana talks about how hard it is being queen, Gwen offers to go and speak with Leon and try to make him see sense.**

Gwen pulls a face. "What could he have feed Arthur, that is worse than rat?"

"Loads of things," Gwaine grins. "Toad paste, crushed sheep eyeballs, horse-"

"I get it!" Gwen exclaimed.

Arthur smiled. "Merlin gives the best advice…. If he had just left me, I would never have found the courage to try and save my father."

"Merlin has a way of giving people hope," Gwen smiled. "Without hope, there is no reason to fight."

Elyan nodes. "Merlin refusal to give up and to always fight no matter what the odds, gives others the courage to do the same."

"Lancelot told me," Percival speaks up. "That Merlin was the bravest person he had ever had the honour of knowing and it's true."

**Back in the cave Merlin is speaking with Gaius. Gaius asks if Merlin has sent word to Lancelot and Merlin tells him he has, but he doesn't know if Lancelot was still in the place he sent it too. Merlin tells Gaius they have to act now, before Morgana gets any stronger. Merlin asks how the last immortal army was destroyed and Gaius told him the blood was emptied from the cup, so the enchantment no longer held. Merlin tells Gaius that was he must do, but Gaius warns Merlin he cannot kill one let alone a whole army to get to the cup.**

"So that's why Lancelot knew where we were." Arthur mutters.

Gaius glances at Arthur. "Didn't Merlin tell you he sent for Lancelot?"

Arthur shakes his head. "No, I thought Lancelot had heard about what had happened and come in search of us, to aid us."

Elyan rolls his eyes. "I can remember Lancelot saying it was Merlin who contacted him."

Gwaine nodes. "Yeah, he told us when we asked him about at the round table."

"Arthur was talking to Gwen at the time," Leon points out. "He wouldn't have been paying attention to what we were talking about."

Gwen turns to Gaius. "Couldn't Merlin have used magic? I mean even if his magic couldn't kill them, it could keep them out of his way."

Gaius shakes his head. "Mortal magic has no effect on the dead…. The moment their blood entered the cup, they became the living dead."

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**Back in Camelot Gwen visits Leon in the dungeons and smuggles some food in for him. Leon asks Gwen why she was there, Gwen tells him Morgana sent her and quickly explains why. When Leon calls form the guards, Gwen quickly tells him she wants to help him escape and that they need to find Arthur. But unknown to Gwen and Leon, Morgana and Morgause are spying on them and work out a plan so Gwen and Leon silk lead them straight to Arthur. Back in the cave, Merlin is looking for the gift the fisher king gave him, Gaius asks him what he is doing and Merlin explains the fisher king told him in Camelot's darkest hour, when all seemed lost, it would guide him and all Merlin had to do was work out how to use it.**

Leon glances at Gwen. "I am sorry Gwen, I should have known you would never betray Arthur."

Gwen smiled. "You had seen me being loyal to Morgana…. I had to keep up the appearance, or otherwise I would have been suspected."

"You shouldn't have risked it Gwen," Arthur speaks up. "If it wasn't for Morgause knowing she could use you to lead them to me, Morgana would have had you killed!"

"I couldn't just leave Leon there to die! I had to help him." Gwen answers.

Elyan sighs. "Maybe next time, Gwen, tell people your plan on your second visit…. I doubt Morgana would have followed you a second time."

"The gift the fisher king gave Merlin," Gwaine asks. "How does it work?"

"You will see." Taliesin answers.

**Back in Camelot Gwen and Morgana toast to friendship and loyalty, after Morgana slips a potion into Gwen's drink. Back in the cave Merlin is trying spells on the fisher kings gift, but nothing seems to work. Back in Camelot Gwen enters Morgana room, after checking no one's there, she makes a mould of the key to the dungeons and leaves, but unknown to her, Morgause was watching her. Back in the cave Merlin is still trying spells and nothing is working, at last Merlin falls asleep. Back in Camelot Gwen makes a copy of they key to the dungeons in the forge, all she had to do know was wait for it to set.**

"You shouldn't have accepted the drink, Gwen." Arthur mutters. "She could have poisoned it."

"If I had refused, Morgana would have become suspicious," Gwen answers. "At the time I thought she had no idea about my plan and I couldn't afford for her to find out."

"Why didn't the spells Merlin tried work?" Percival asks.

Taliesin sighs. "The gift was not a light to guide but a message... A message which held the answers on how to destroy the immortal army."

Elyan glanced at Gwen. "You took a great risk Gwen, if you had been caught…."

"I wasn't caught and that's all that matters." Gwen answers.

Arthur glances at Gwen. "I take it your father taught you?"

Gwen shakes her head. "No, but I watched my father enough times to know how to make a key."

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**Back in the cave, Merlin is woken up by a noise behind him and drops the gift, causing it to shatter. He turns to find Gwaine leaving the cave. The water forms a pool and suddenly Freya appears in the water, to say Merlin is shocked is an understatement. Freya tells Merlin that those who place their blood in the cup of life become the living dead, Merlin works out Excalibur can kill them and Freya tells Merlin he must come to the lake so she can give him the sword. Gwaine returns and Merlin looks round, but when he looks back at the pool of water Freya is gone.**

"Freya!" Gwen gasps. "He got to see Freya again."

Gaius smiled. "When Freya died her soul was bound to the lake…. She became the lady of the lake."

"How is that possible?" Isolde asks. "Tales of the lady of the lake have been around since the kingdoms were formed."

"So have Emrys and the once and future king," Gaius answers. "Yet they were not even born twenty five years ago."

Elyan smiles. "At least Merlin has a way to destroy the immortal army."

"He still has to reach the cup," Percival points out. "Morgause will have it guarded one sword will be no use against ten or more men."

**Merlin quickly leaves the cave, after making sure he wasn't followed he summons Kilgharrah. After a small disagreement with Kilgharrah on that matter of whether he was a horse or not, he flies Merlin to the lake of Avalon. Once they arrive Merlin makes his way to the lake's edge, but not before Kilgharrah warns Merlin after he has used the sword he must place it where no man can wield it. After spotting a boat, he uses magic to sail the boat out into the middle of the lake where Freya hands him the sword.**

"Why didn't Merlin just return the sword to the lake?" Leon asks. "Arthur pulled it from a stone, wouldn't it have been easier to have placed it back in the lake?"

Taliesin shakes his head. "The sword if it had been placed back in the lake, would have been taken to Avalon."

Gaius nodes. "If the sword had been taken to Avalon, Merlin would have been the only one able to retrieve it…. It was better placed in a stone where Arthur would one day claim it."

Gwaine sighs. "It's so unfair, Merlin gets to ride a dragon and we get horses."

Elyan rolls his eyes. "He's a dragon lord, of course he gets to ride a dragon!"

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**Back in Camelot, Gwen pretends to trip whilst carrying a laundry basket and passes the key she made down to Leon. That night as the warning bell sounds, Gwen opens her front door and hands Leon a dress as Leon enters. After explain to Leon that all the guards will be looking for a knight not two women courtiers, Leon puts on the dress and the two of them leave Camelot. Unknown to them Morgan and Morgause are watching them leave, as they vanish into the woods, Morgause casts a spell causing a trail to be left behind them. Far from the castle Gwen helps Leon change back into his normal cloths. As Gwen and Leon make their way towards where they think Arthur is hiding, Morgause and a patrol of immortals are following them.**

Gwaine bursts out laughing. "That's just brilliant!"

Leon glares at Gwaine. "It is not funny."

"No," Gwaine agrees. "It's hilarious."

Elyan was trying really hard not to laugh and Percival couldn't hide the grin that had formed. Even Arthur seemed unable to stop his lips from twitching upwards. Tristan was grinning and Isolde was laughing into her hand, whilst Gaius just raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.

"We should have known Morgana or Morgause would follow us," Gwen mutters. "I shouldn't have been so careless."

Leon shakes his head. "You had no reason to believe Morgana knew what you were planning."

**Back in the cave Merlin is hiding Excalibur among his things when Arthur appears and tells him what he said yesterday was quite wise and if he hadn't known Merlin would have thought he was wise. A noise from outside the cave, cause both of them to leave. Merlin and Arthur, along with Gwaine prepare to attack who ever is making their way towards the cave. Arthur jumps out and grabs Gwen, the two quickly embrace and as Arthur greets Leon, Elyan appears warning them they have been found. Merlin and warns Gaius, who tells him he should be left behind, he is too slow. But Merlin refuses to go without him.**

"Merlin is one of the wisest people I know," Gaius smiles. "He has wisdom far beyond his years."

Arthur nodes. "Him playing the fool was simply an act to protect himself."

"Merlin only showed you one side of himself, you simply failed to see the other. Merlin can be a complete fool at times, it wasn't always an act. He is still the person he was before." Gaius answers.

Arthur sighs. "And if were not for my father Merlin would never have had to hid."

"If it weren't for your father," Taliesin answers. "Merlin would never have been born. Balinor would never have meet Hunith, if it wasn't for the fact he was fleeing Uthur."

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**As Gaius leaves Merlin runs deeper into the cave and grabs Excalibur, as he runs to catch up with the other, an immortal jumps out on him and they battle. Merlin wins and the immortal guard explodes into little more than dust. As the group make their way through a cannon, the immortals are closing in. Suddenly rocks fall blocking the path behind them and stopping the immortals from catching them. Looking up Lancelot and Percival stand looking down at them. As they flee into the woods, they stop for a moment and Lancelot introduces Arthur to Percival. When Arthur asks what Lancelot was doing here, Merlin tells him he sent for him.**

Percival smiles. "Merlin truly isn't half bad with a sword."

Elyan nodes. "With the right training he could be even better."

"Least he knew Excalibur worked." Leon sighs. "Now all he has to do is work out how to get to the cup."

Gwaine glances at Arthur. "Merlin told you he sent for Lancelot, I think you may have been hit over the head one to many times princess."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

**Back in Camelot Morgause apologizes to Morgana, Arthur had got lucky and escaped. Morgana tells her it isn't a problem, Arthur has handful of men and they have an immortal army. Morgause explains while Arthur lives, the people will not yield. Morgana simply orders for a gallows to be built and one by one the knight will be killed, until the people give their alliance. **

Gwen just shakes her head. "I agree with Merlin, all I feel for Morgana is pity…. She became so cold and full of hate…. It's just sad."

Everyone else stays silent, there was little they could say that hadn't already been said.

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**Elsewhere Arthur leads the way to an old, abandoned fort, they enter to find the place covered in dust and cobwebs. After Gaius asks if the place is safe, Arthur orders everyone to look round to see what they can find. Merlin and Gwen light a fire and some candles, whilst Percival hands Gaius a drink and Gwaine returns from his search with a pile of weapon, possible left by bandits. Whilst the soon-to-be knights sort through the weapons, Arthur pulls back the cover, revealing a round table.**

Taliesin smiled. "The round table of the ancient kings had been believed to have been lost for many years."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "You and Merlin never seem to have faith in places I choose to hide."

"It wasn't that I didn't have faith," Gaius answers. "That castle was well known by all who knew the history of ancient kings, Morgana would have known about it. I feared she would send a patrol to trap us there and kill us."

**He calls everyone forwards to join him at the table and everyone quickly sits, Arthur tells them the history of the table and how all those who sat around it were equal. One by one everyone rises and agrees to fight by Arthur's side. The only person who doesn't stand is Merlin, but quickly gets to his feet when Arthur tells him he doesn't have a choice. Shortly after, Elyan, Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival are all knighted.**

"The knight of the round table, has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Gwaine grins.

Arthur rolls his eyes. "You are a knight of Camelot Gwaine."

Gwaine smiles. "The bright red cloaks make it quite hard to forget."

Tristan glances at Arthur. "You knighted commoners, even though you knew your father wouldn't approve."

"They are nobler than many of the knights from noble families." Arthur answers. "Each and every one of them would lay down their lives for me and showed true loyalty."

"Then why didn't you knight Merlin?" Isolde asks. "He is loyal and would lay down his life for you... He was prepared to fight an immortal army on his own to save you!"

Arthur sighs. "Merlin just isn't a knight…. He's just... Merlin."

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**Later that night both Merlin and Lancelot lie awake, whilst everyone one else is asleep. Merlin congratulates Lancelot on becoming a knight, when Lancelot asks Merlin for how long, Merlin doesn't really give an answer and looks away. Lancelot works out Merlin is planning something and wants to know what it is, he warns Merlin not to lie, he knows him to well. Unknown to Merlin and Lancelot, Gaius is still awake and listens in as Merlin tells Lancelot his plan. Merlin explains that he must empty the cup of blood and immortal army will be destroyed. Lancelot tells Merlin, he is the one Arthur should knight, he was the bravest of them all and they didn't even know it.**

Percival nodes. "Merlin is the bravest of us all…. He was going to face an immortal army on his own, if Lancelot hadn't worked out he was planning something he probably would have."

"I don't know whether it was bravery or stupidity." Gaius mutters.

Elyan shakes his head. "I don't think I would be brave enough to fight an immortal army on my own."

Leon nodes his agreement. "Even if I had Excalibur, I don't think I could face the army alone."

Gwaine grins. "The odds do look lovely."

**The following day Arthur explains his plan to get his father out of Camelot, Lancelot speaks up saying the need to disable the warning bell, he and Merlin volunteer to go, Arthur agrees and Merlin and Lancelot share a look. Arthur and Gwen share a kiss before they leave. As they prepare to leave Gaius tells Merlin he knows what he is planning on doing and warns him, if Morgause catches him, she will kill him.**

Arthur shakes his head. "I should have known they were never going after the warning bell, Merlin agreed to it far too quickly."

Leon nodes. "Merlin never leaves you side, when he knows only magic could be the way to save you…. He even went with you to the throne room when Morgana was crowned queen."

Gaius smiled slightly. "I am just glad Merlin didn't have to do it alone."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "I told you, you would come back to me."

"And I always will." Arthur answers.

Isolde smiles. "Did Merlin really believe you didn't know about the plan? Even if you hadn't over heard them, you knew Merlin to well to think he didn't have a plan."

"Merlin feared if he told me, I would try and stop him," Gaius answers. "Neither he or Lancelot were expecting to come back alive."

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**They make it into the castle and Lancelot and Merlin head up into the main area of, the castle to, destroy the cup of life. The others head down into the dungeons. Back at the fort, Gwen returns from collecting fire wood, to find Gaius gone. Back in Camelot Merlin suddenly stops and tells Lancelot he can feel the power of the cup. Suddenly an immortal spots them and Merlin uses the sword to destroy them, much to the surprise of Lancelot.**

Gaius turns to Gwen. "I am sorry I left you, but I couldn't let Merlin and Lancelot face Morgause and Morgana alone."

Gwen smiles. "I understand…. You and Merlin were the only two people with magic."

Gwaine laughs. "You would have thought Merlin would have told Lancelot about the sword."

"Merlin always leaves out the important details." Arthur mutters. "Whenever he has a plan he leaves about the important details."

Gwaine grins. "You mean like when you step-mother was a troll?"

"Shut up, Gwaine."

**Down in the dungeons Gwaine leads some immortals into a trap. With only a couple trapped Arthur and the new knights are left to fight their way into the dungeons. Freeing some of the knights being help prisoner, the numbers on either side begin to even up and Arthur quickly finds his father and frees him. As they try and fight their way out the warning bell sounds. **

Percival thinks for a moment. "If Merlin and Lancelot had told us their plan, wouldn't they have had a better chance of reaching the cup and destroying it?"

Leon shakes his head. "Merlin would never have been able to explain how the sword was forged, if he had he could have been executed."

"He wouldn't have been able to lead the way to the cup either," Elyan adds. "He sensed the magic of cup and was able to follow it."

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**Meanwhile Merlin and Lancelot fight their way into the hall containing the cup of life, after destroying almost all the guards outside, they take a moment to relax before noticing the cup is guarded by a lot of guards. They quickly fight their way through the guards but Lancelot is injured by the last one. Merlin quickly defeats the last one and turns towards the cup, but before he can reach it, Morgause throws him into a wall. **

Gwaine smiles. "They thought they had done it, only to be faced with even more immortals."

"They would have been better off if Merlin had given the sword to Lancelot," Elyan mutters. "He was a much better fighter."

"No," Taliesin speaks up. "Excalibur was made for Arthur and Arthur alone, no other can wield it…. Uthur could use it because he shared blood with Arthur and Merlin's a dragon lord he can wield any weapon forged by dragons."

Percival looks slightly worried as Lancelot falls to the ground injured, but breathes a sigh of relief as Merlin steps between him and the last immortal. "That guard could have killed him, if Merlin had gone straight for the cup, he would be dead."

Leon winces, as Merlin's thrown into a wall. "How did he even stand after that? That looked like quite a lot of force, I wouldn't be surprised if that broke a couple of ribs."

**But before Morgause can kill Merlin, Gaius appears and sends Morgause flying backwards, but it does little damage. As she gets to her feet and raises her arm towards Gaius, Merlin uses magic to send her crashing into a pillar, where she falls to the ground unconscious. Merlin quickly grabs Excalibur and empties the cup of life destroying every last immortal soldier. Down in the dungeons everyone laughs and smiles in relief. Arthur tells his father he is safe now and Elyan notices Gwaine has gone, but he's still alive much to everyone's relief.**

"Gaius, you shouldn't have done that," Gwen gasps. "Morgause could have killed you!"

Gaius sighed. "If I had done nothing, Merlin would have been forced to use magic while Morgause saw him…. If Morgana knew about Merlin's magic, it would have done a lot of damage."

"So Merlin has destroyed two immortal armies now," Gwaine grins. "And he hasn't told anyone about it, or asked for anyone to thank him."

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**Merlin, Gaius and Lancelot all share relieved glances, but suddenly Morgana appears and runs to her fallen sister. Merlin tells her it is over and she replies it has only just began. Morgana suddenly starts screaming causing all the windows to shatter inwards and the ceiling to collapse around them. Merlin, Gaius and Lancelot quickly flee the room.**

"Her magic did all that damage," Isolde mutters. "And she didn't use a spell once."

"Her magic was channelled through her range, anger and pain, causing her to lose control of it." Gaius explains. "Unlike Merlin, her control over her magic wasn't that strong, when she lost control of her emotions."

Elyan shivers slightly remembering what Morgana had done to him just over a week ago. "She was right, it had only just begun."

**The following day, Merlin and Arthur sit on the steps outside the castle and talk, Merlin tells Arthur it may be time for him to become king. Arthur gets up as soon as Gwen and the knights come into view. Merlin smiles before heading into the castle. Later that night, Gaius informs him Morgana and Morgause were gone. Gaius congratulates Merlin on destroying the immortal army and Merlin tells Gaius he was right, Camelot needed both of them. As Gaius talks about cleaning up their chamber, Merlin tells him he has a job to do first. Merlin takes Excalibur and finds a rock deep in the forest, after checking no one is around, he uses magic to drive the sword into the stone, before stepping back and admiring his work. **

Arthur smiled. "I hope Merlin never changes."

Gwen smiled. "I doubt Merlin ever will."

Isolde frowns. "Do you think Merlin ever felt like an outsider? He just watched you, but didn't join you."

"Merlin didn't feel like he belonged, at the time…. He had magic and magic was illegal. He could never belong unless magic was accepted." Taliesin speaks up.

Gaius nodes his agreement. "Magic is a huge part of who Merlin is…. Until magic is accepted, Merlin will never truly belong."

"A sword in a stone," Tristan mutters. "No one would ever be able to wield it there... But wasn't it a risk to leave it in the middle of the forest? If Uthur had ever found out about it, he would have started a witch hunt, preaching sorcerers were mocking him and his kingdom."

"Merlin placed a ward on the area, after he left," Gaius explains. "It would mean only he could find it…. That's why even though you knew the woods Arthur, you had never seen it before."

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**Hey hoped you liked that chapter, next chapter should be up soon. It may take a little longer for me to write the chapters soon, because on Monday college starts, meaning I will have less time to write. Well that's series three complete, only series four to go :)**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	43. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-two: Return to Albion.

Merlin stood on the banks of the lake of Avalon, Freya could not join him in the mortal word until he created the mortal gateway. Sighing he looked at the staff of Emrys, which he was holding in his hands. He had no idea what spell he was going to use and was hoping the staff would guide him, like it had when he restored the perilous lands.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forwards onto the lakes surface. Much to his surprise, it felt no different to walking on solid ground. He slowly made his way across the water's surface and towards the centre of the lake. He glanced over his shoulder at the tree line behind him, he knew a Camelot patrol passed close to this area and he just hoped he wasn't seen. They were not the only people Merlin had to worry about, anyone could be passing…. To many, this was just a normal lake, hardly anyone knew it was the gateway to Avalon.

He walked across the surface of the lake until he reached the centre, he shut his eyes and reached out within his magic. He could feel the magic in the lake around him and also the faint traces of magic left by the portal between worlds. Concentrating, Merlin connected his magic with the magic of Avalon and the lake around him, and slammed the staff of Emrys into the water's surface. He simply willed his magic to do his bidding, as he opened his eyes they burned gold and the magic around him began to shift and swirl.

At first nothing happened but then, a loud rumbling sound came from deep beneath the surface of the lake and the water began to glow and ripple. The ripples soon began to for waves and went crashing on to the banks of the lake. Merlin was soon finding it hard to keep his balance as the water under his feet rose and fell in giant waves, as they went hurtling towards the banks of the lake.

Merlin was suddenly thrown, through the air, towards the banks of the lake, as a massive pluses of magic burst from the lake and sending water in all directions. Merlin crashed landed on the bank of the lake and quickly got to his feet, the waves that had already hit the earth around the lake had softened ground and in turn created a softer landing for him. Using the staff of Emrys to keep his balance, Merlin turned on the wet ground to look back at the lake.

Now standing in the middle of the lake was a small island, with a pillar of stone standing in the middle. It reminded Merlin of a tower, but it was far smaller and appeared to have a single arch like door way at the base. Merlin sighed, raised his hand and muttered a spell. His eyes glowed gold and out of the water burst a stone path leading straight to the island.

Walking along the stone path, Merlin made his way onto the island. He stopped before the door, he could sense the magic from Avalon, but there was only one way to find out if his spell had worked. He pushed the door open and stepped into the tower. On the opposite side to which Merlin entered there was a second door, walking across to it, Merlin pulled it open and steped out.

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Iseldir hurried through the tower to the council hall, news had reached him that Merlin had returned to the mortal realm and Freya, the lady of the lake and Merlin's wife, was soon to join him. The druid council would be over joyed at this news, even Iseldir couldn't help but smile as he hurried along. The druids would soon have a queen, as well as a king.

"I have news," Iseldir announces as he enters the council hall. "Emrys has returned to this realm and he has also created the gateway between the realms. Passage for mortals between the realms can happen once more."

"Then we must prepare," A druid elder answers. "They may have married in Avalon, but we still have to perform a druid ceremony. The ceremony must be performed before the lady of the lake can be crowned."

A second druid elder nodes. "A hand fasting ceremony can be held out in the forest, there is a clearing large enough for the ceremony to take place."

"They can then return here," A third speaks up. "Where she can be crowned."

Iseldir nodes. "But we must work quickly, the day after tomorrow we leave to support those fighting and offer our aid in healing."

A forth speaks up. "Tomorrow Emrys has duties to perform and today will be too short notice…. We do not even know if Emrys is traveling elsewhere before he returns here."

Iseldir nodes. "He will be back soon, but he will want to spend time with his family."

"Then the ceremony must take place on the morning before we go to battle," the first speaks up. "We leave at midday, the ceremony will not take that long…. It just means the celebrations afterwards will have to be quite short or not at all."

The third elder nodes. "The crowning can take place straight after and should all be completed by midday, if we have a dawn start."

"We should have time," the second agrees. "But the magic council must be informed, as must the war council, there plans have yet to be completed…. They may send Emrys and the dragons to the fort first to ensure it is safe."

Iseldir shakes his head. "Only Kilgharrah will be fighting, Aithusa is too young…. Emrys is going to be the last to leave and join the battle. He, unlike the army, will be fighting from the air and only on the ground when he is needed."

"So we have time," The forth speaks. "We must start to prepare for the hand fasting and the crowning."

Everyone nodes their agreement and the druid council quickly leave the hall.

Iseldir sighs, battle was closing in fast. With the war council still debating the best course to take in the upcoming battle, everyone was being forced to leave a day later. The original plan was for the army to leave tomorrow, but without a plan it would be useless.

All Iseldir could do was hope the war council finalises their plans and finalises them soon. If Mordred was to start his attack now, they would have little hope. Their land had no castles or forts, the only fort they had were on the other side of the mountains facing the plains of Camlann. People would not be able to find shelter from the arm, even the tower offered little protection.

Even when the fisher king ruled this land in his time of perfect health, he never fought in his own kingdom. He always went away to fight, but when he returned injuries his illness affected his land. The fisher king also had many powerful spell and enchantments which protected his lands and people. No enemy had ever been known to cross the border into his land, the magic he used to protect his land was just too strong.

Iseldir quickly leaves the council hall, the fisher king had not used his own magic to protect the kingdom, and he wouldn't have had the power. He used magical object, which held strong power. Iseldir only knew of a handful of objects with that power and only one of them he knew was still around, all other had been lost or destroyed. The same object that restored this land was going to protect it.

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Freya stood watching the lake before, soon she would be returning to the mortal world. All she had to do was wait for Merlin to create the mortal gateway. She had to admit she was nervous and a little bit scared, but she would have Merlin beside her and that was all that mattered. She glanced round, Avalon had been the place she had lived for close to two years, but it had never been her home as such…. Home was where the heart is and her heart would forever be with Merlin.

"Lady Freya?" A voice behind her calls.

Freya turned to find three women standing there. A young maiden, a mother and an old crone.

"Yes," Freya answers. "How may I help you?"

The three women smile. And the old crone speaks up. "It is not how you may help us, it is how we may help you."

Freya looks at them. "I don't need any help."

The maiden smiles. "I guess in ways you do not, but in others you do."

Freya answers. "What is it you believe I need help with?"

"A gift that was given to you by the fates," The mother answers. "A gift that we wish to give our blessing to."

"What gift?" Freya asks.

"The gift of motherhood, child." The crone answers.

"Motherhood?" Freya questions.

The maiden nodes. "Yes, motherhood."

"We wish to give our blessing to those who are yet to be born." The mother answers.

"But I am not with child." Freya answers.

The crone stares at Freya for a moment. "You may be or you may not be, but the fates have given you that gift."

"And we wish to bless it." The maiden replies.

"Who are you?" Freya asks.

The crone smiles. "Who we are does not matter, child."

"In time you will know the answer." The mother answers.

"But until that time," The maiden spoke. "The truth will be hidden."

Freya takes a step back. "Why should I trust you?"

"There is no need to fear us." The maiden smiled.

"We mean you no harm," The crone answer. "And all those who harm you will pay the price."

"Why would they pay a price?" Freya asks.

"You have the wife of Merlin Emrys," The mother answers. "And Merlin Emrys has our blessing, so in turn so do you."

"The power of three, is the greatest power of all," The maiden speak. "You are truly blessed."

"What?" Freya asks.

"You are blessed with motherhood and the power of three," The crone answers. "The fates have delt you a good deal."

The three of them suddenly vanish, leaving Freya standing on her own and slightly worried about her health.

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Hunith walked into Alice's chamber and set down the herbs she had been out collecting, she had set out at dawn and had collect all the herds she and Alice needed. Thankful a druid had been able to guide her back to the tower, after she got lost. How Merlin always went collect herbs for Gaius and made it back in time to serve Arthur was a mystery, but then Merlin was always saying he was being yelled at for being slightly late.

"Alice are you here?" Hunith called.

"Yes, yes," Alice answered, appearing from behind a pile of books she was in the process of sorting. "You got the herbs, thank you Hunith."

Hunith smiled. "I did, I was wondering if you had heard anything from Gaius lately?"

Alice shakes her head. "I have not heard from him since he was here last, why is something the matter?"

"No, no," Hunith answers. "I was just worried."

Alice smiled. "Gaius has nothing to fear from Arthur…. Arthur already knows about his magic and how he was an active sorcerer before the great purge."

Hunith smiles. "I can't help but worry for him, he is my brother... Our mother was so young when she had Gaius and then our father went for war, when he finally returned I was born not long after, but Gaius was already old enough to leave home... I should know by now, he always survives."

Suddenly Terrance bursts into the room. "Hunith! Alice! Merlin has returned from Avalon! The druids told me he would be back sometime today!"

Hunith smiled. "He's returned."

"The druids will no doubt be planning a celebration like no other." Alice smiled.

"The druids have said they are planning a druid hand fasting for Merlin and his wife in two days' time, do you think we'll be able to go?" Terrance asks, with a grin.

Alice smiled. "I believe we will…. Hunith will have to be there, she and Gaius are Merlin's only living blood relations."

"I'm sure you'll be able to go," Hunith reassures Terrance. "I think most people Merlin knows will be going."

Terrance smiles. "I've never been to a druid hand fasting before…. I've never been to a normal hand fasting before."

Alice smiled. "Then you better hope the druids let you attend."

Terrance thinks for a moment. "Will Merlin's friends from Camelot be going?"

Hunith glances at Terrance. "I don't think so, Camelot still punishes those with magic…. It would be too dangerous for anyone from Camelot to come here, any who are found to have attended could be accused by the council of treason."

"But Gaius is from Camelot," Terrance points out. "And you said he was coming."

Alice nodes. "He is Merlin's uncle, he would never betray Merlin."

"Arthur and the knights wouldn't betray Merlin either," Hunith adds. "But there are many in Camelot that would wish to see my son dead…. Many of whom could follow them here. Gaius is wise and no one would be suspect him, it is not uncommon for a physician leaving the city, for a couple of days."

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Merlin and Freya stood in the shade of the trees that surrounded the lake of Avalon, they had returned to the mortal realm.

Merlin smiled and gripped Freya's hand. "There is something I want to show you."

"What so you want to show me?"

"It's a surprise."

Freya smiled. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to end well?"

Merlin laughed. "If something goes wrong I can promise you, it won't be my fault."

"So where are we going?" Freya asks, as they start making their way through the forest.

Merlin grins. "I told you: it's a surprise."

Freya glanced round. "What type of surprise?"

"The good type, I hope," Merlin mutters. "I want you to meet someone…. Well sort of meet them…. Well as close as you can get to meeting them in this world, anyway."

"And why do we have to do this now?" Freya asks. "Why not latter?"

"I don't know when we will be passing this close go Camelot again."

Freya stares at Merlin for a moment. "We're going to Camelot? Magic is still outlawed in Camelot! They'll kill us!"

Merlin shakes his head. "You'll be fine, Freya, no one knows who you are. When you were last in Camelot, only Arthur and a handful of knights saw you, most of whom are dead!"

"Dead?" Freya asks. "What happened?"

"Did you not see Kilgharrah attack the city, after I released him?"

Freya shakes her head. "I did not, I hadn't learnt how to scry at the time... I heard about it though."

"Most of them died in that battle." Merlin answers. "Anyway even if Arthur were to see you I doubt he'd remember you…. Even if he did, he wouldn't think it was you…. He believes you to be dead."

Freya nodes. "What about you, then? You have worked as Arthur's servant for close to four years and you worked for Gaius the same amount of time, everyone is going to know you!"

Merlin nodes. "But that also gives me the advantage, I know this city better than most. I have to, I know most the secret passages leading in and out of the castle. I know the time table the guards and patrols follow, slipping in and out of the castle unseen is the easy part."

"What's the hard part?" Freya asks.

Merlin smiled. "Remaining unseen once inside the castle."

"You hide from guard all the time," Freya mutters. "You must do, your always sneaking around saving the city, of all your deeds I have seen and all those you have told be about, you always remain unseen."

Merlin smiled. "That is true, but the Camelot guards are not the people we have to worry about…. I was informed by the Sidhe this morning that, the day after tomorrow, king Sarrum will be arriving in Camelot to take council with Arthur…. Sarrum is no fool, he would have sent spies ahead of him. His hatred for magic was only ever matched by Uthur. News that king Arthur man servant had magic would have travelled fast, he'll no doubt send spies to see if any other sorcerer's lurk with in Camelot's walls."

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Gilli stood sharpening his sword, at the edge of the training grounds. Beside him, Tyr was also sharpening weapons. A pile on either side of him, weapons that had been sharpened and weapons that were yet to be sharpen.

"Are you just going to sharpen your own weapon Gilli?" Tyr asks, as he places a weapon down and picks another. "The whole army is going to need sharp weapons."

Gilli glances at Tyr. "If everyone sharpened their own weapons there would be no problems."

Tyr rolled his eyes. "These Gilli are spare weapons, replacement weapons…. Say you are fighting and your sword was destroyed by an orc, you'll need a new weapon."

"Yeah," Gilli replies. "But if I'm in the middle of a battle field, possible miles from the closest allied camp, how am I going to be able to get one of these replacement swords and weapons."

"No, you're just lazy, Gilli." A voice behind them muttered.

Gilli turned. "And what would you know, Eira?"

Eira smiled. "I know that if we do not supply spare weapons, we will run out of weapons."

"See," Tyr nodes. "Eira understands the workings of battle."

Eira sits down beside Tyr and begins to help him sharpen the weapons. "We are going into battle Gilli, it's not single combat. You protect those you fight beside and they protect you, you're not fighting alone, you're fighting as a team."

Gilli sighs. "The first time I ever fought as part of a team was when Merlin ask for help killing the change-wings…. Even then it was pretty much single combat... I have never fought in an army before."

"Then you better learn, in this coming battle everyone looks out for each other. You keep yourself alive and you keep the people around you alive." Tyr explains.

"And you can start working as a team, by sharpening some of these weapons." Eira explained.

Gilli looks at her before putting down his sword. "Pass us one then."

Eira smirks and passes him a weapon to sharpen, a broad sword. As Gilli begins to, sharpen it, he glances round. The training field was completely empty.

"Hey, Tyr," Gilli grins. "Want to get in some last minute practice?"

Tyr shakes his head. "I still have loads weapons to sharpen. Why don't you fight Eira? She hasn't been able to find anyone to train with today."

Gilli glances at Eira. "There is no way I'm fighting her."

"Why?" Eira asks. "Scared you'll lose."

"No," Gilli snaps. "You're a women."

Eira grins. "You're scared you'll be beaten by a women…. Remember Gilli I have beaten you before, it won't make much of a difference."

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Merlin muttered a spell and the metal gate he always used to sneak into the castle flies open with a creak. He turned to Freya and held out his hand, which she quickly takes. They quickly walk along the tunnel, leading into the heart of the city.

"Do many people know about this tunnel?" Freya asks.

Merlin nodes. "I fear many people know about it."

"So why don't they use it?"

"Because to pull the gate off would cause a lot of noise," Merlin answers. "The guards would hear. Most who try to kill the king sneak into the castle, assassin wouldn't know about unless those who hired them do. And sorcerers wishing to seek revenge just use magic and go through the main gate."

Freya nodes. "You've placed an enchantment on these tunnels haven't you?"

Merlin smiled. "Yes, on this one I have, but there are siege tunnels I haven't enchanted…. It uses a lot of magic to create wards."

"When did you start placing protection wards on Camelot?"

Merlin smiled. "Just after I finished placing wards on Sigan's tomb."

"Sigan? Couldn't you just destroy his soul?" Freya answers. "I know the spirit world has been awaiting his soul for a long time."

Merlin nodes. "But there is no way to take his soul to the spirit world…. Whoever breaks his heart, completes his work. To removes the jewel which contains his soul would only release him and whoever released him would become possessed."

"Maybe the Cailleach would be able to do something about it, she is the gate keeper to the spirit world."

Merlin shakes his head. "It would be too much of a risk and would require a lot of magic, the Cailleach only appears in this world when the veil is torn."

Merlin suddenly stops and Freya almost walks into him. "What is it?" Freya asks.

"We're here," Merlin mutters. "All we need to do is get past the guards…. Which shouldn't take too long."

Merlin shut his eyes for a moment before muttering a spell and opening his eyes, which burned gold. The guards weapons picked themselves up before disappearing off along the oppose corridor, the guards shared look before running after their weapons.

Freya smiled. "You would have though a kingdom that hates magic would train its guards better."

"No," Merlin laughed. "You would think the guards would be clever enough to work out when something is magic."

Merlin quickly led the way along the corridor and towards some steps leading down into an unknown place below the city. He pulls an unlit torch from the wall and quickly lights it with a flash of his eyes.

"It's down here?" Freya asks looking down the tunnel.

Merlin nodes. "It used to be the cave where Kilgharrah was held prisoner by Uthur."

"So who could are we meeting in this cave, where the great dragon was once held prisoner?" Freya asks, as they begin to walk down the steps.

Merlin smiled sadly. "You won't be able to meet them in this realm Freya, but this is the closest I can get."

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Bercilak stood watching as Daegal treated the wound on Kara forearm, Sefa stood by the door watching for any movements outside. They had found shelter in an abandoned house to close to the border.

"What were those thing?"s Kara asks, wanting to break the silence.

Daegal finishes cleaning Kara's wound. "I don't know, but the weapon it used is like nothing I have ever seen before."

Sefa looks round from her spot by the door. "I think they were Orcs."

"Orcs?" Kara asks. "Why would there be Orcs here? Mordred's army is gathered on the plains of Camlann."

Bercilak shakes his head. "Anyone who believes Mordred is only going to fight us on the plains of Camlann, are fools. Mordred is going to try and destroy us before we even move."

"Why now though?" Daegal asks. "Why not when he first created his army?"

"Maybe he wasn't strong enough until now." Sefa mutters, turning to watch outside again.

Bercilak shakes his head. "No, Mordred simply believes we're not prepared for an attack."

Daegal shakes his head. "I don't think this was Mordred plan, it didn't seem organised enough. I saw the battle plans Mordred has, when they were first delivered to the council... That wasn't anything like the plans he had, the Orcs that attacked us, followed no plan."

Sefa glances at Daegal. "Daegal's right, if this had been Mordred attack, we would be dead. Mordred would have organised an attack we couldn't escape from alive…. There is only four of us after all."

"Then who could have done it?" Kara asks. "I'm sure I saw the crest of Mordred the dark on the amour od the Orcs."

"Mordred had a traitor working in our court didn't he?" Daegal speaks up after a moment. "Jared? Was his name Jared? Do you think he could be doing this?"

"Shh!" Sefa hisses. "I saw something move."

Bercilak quickly moves across the room and joins Sefa by the door. Daegal quickly finishes wrapping the bandage around Kara arm and picks up one of his throwing knives, before joining Bercilak and Sefa by the door.

"Are you sure?" Bercilak whispers. "I can't see anything."

"I definitely saw something." Sefa hisses.

Daegal quickly points to something just throw the tree line. "I just saw something, through there."

Bercilak shakes his head. "I didn't see anything, what was it?"

Sefa glances at the tree line. "All I saw was a flash of light."

Daegal nodes. "Like a bolt of lightning."

"Must be magic," Kara mutters. "Whoever or whatever it is, it isn't an Orc. Orcs don't have magic."

Suddenly the sound of twigs snapping can be heard, all four of them grip there weapons, suddenly a young women with dark brown hair stumbles out od the tree line.

"Lady Freya." Bercilak gasps.

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**Hey hoped you liked that chapter. Next up is the darkest hour part one and two, it should be up with in the next couple of days.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	44. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-three: The darkest hour part one and two.

Percival was the first to wake, the sun was only just raising in the east outside the cave and Taliesin was yet to appear. Food had been set out for them and Percival glances round, the crystals seemed to be humming and pulsing with light. The cave seemed to radiate even more power than it had the day before. Gwaine groaned as he forced himself to sit up, he glanced round and spotted Percival.

"What time is it?"

"The sun is only just rising," Percival answers. "It will be daylight soon."

Gwaine groans again. "I hate this cave…. It's far too early in the morning."

"You get up for patrol long before dawn, Gwaine." Leon speaks up.

Gwaine and Percival jump, having not noticed Leon had woken up. Elyan also sat up and stretched, before glancing at the three already awake.

"By the look on Gwaine's face," Elyan mutters. "It's close to dawn."

Percival nodes. "The sun is only just raising."

"Well,' Gwaine grins. "Seeing as we're the only people up, we get first choice of the food."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.**

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**A women dressed in black, pulls a cart along through an empty landscape. Suddenly a patrol of four knight, including Leon and Elyan approach the women and asks her where she is going. She answers the seas of Meredor, when they asks what is in the cart, she turn and faces them. It is Morgana, she uses magic to knock them all out, before checking the cart. Laying inside the cart is Morgause and she is gravely injured. Later that day Morgana and Morgause arrive at the seas of Meredor and Morgause pays the ferryman to take them to the isle of the blessed.**

"Her magic was much stronger than it had been when she first claimed Camelot," Leon explains. "We were not expecting to have to fight someone so strong."

Gaius shakes his head. "It wouldn't have mattered how powerful her magic was, it still would have done some damage…. You are powerless against magic."

"The seas of Meredor," Isolde asks. "Doesn't the isle of the blessed lie there?"

Taliesin nodes. "The seas of Meredor are indeed home to the isle of the blessed."

"Morgause was the sacrifice, wasn't she?" Arthur asks.

"I believe she was." Gaius answers.

**In Camelot, Merlin is running through the halls, as other servants prepare the castle for that nights celebrations. After making it to the kitchen, Merlin collects Arthur's shirt and also helps Gwaine and Percival steal some food. He runs back through the castle, but crashes into a servant carrying a jug of wine. The wine ruins Arthur's shirt, Lancelot appears and tells Merlin he's faced far worse. Merlin quickly uses magic to clean the shirt and he and Lancelot share a look. Merlin aviaries in Arthur chamber to find Arthur already dressed. Merlin gives Arthur the speech he had written before leaving to complete his other jobs.**

Gwaine grins. "Merlin is the best friend anyone can have. He always helped us steal food from the kitchens."

"Why did you need to steal food?" Tristan asks. "You're knights."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Gwaine and Percival have been banned from the kitchens by the cook."

"They kept stealing food," Elyan explains. "And playing pranks."

Arthur grimaces as he remembers the time they switched the salt and sugar, all the food in the castle that day had tasted horrible.

"That boy," Gaius scolds. "He should not be that careless with his magic! Anyone could have seen him!... How that boy still has his head on his shoulders is a miracle in its self."

Everyone but Arthur laughs, as they see how Arthur had failed to dress himself correctly.

Gwaine grins. "So what are you going to do know, princess? Merlin can no longer write your speeches."

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**Elsewhere in the castle Gwen is clearing away the food Uthur had failed to eat. As she goes to leave Gaius enters and they two talk. Gwen tells Gaius she must stay with the king tonight and will not be able to attend to the feats. Back in the seas of Meredor the boat is approaching the isle. Elyan and Leon ride into Camelot and go straight to the council chamber, where they tell Arthur what has happened. Agravaine tells Arthur he will send a patrol out at first light the following day, once the council have left, Arthur thanks his uncle for his support and Agravaine tells Arthur he promised his mother he would look after him.**

"Thank you." Arthur takes Gwen's hand. "You didn't have to look after my father like that."

Gwen smiled. "I knew how much he meant to you…. No one else would have shown care, they would only doing the job because it was their orders."

"Morgana betrayal destroyed Uthur…. Even if Merlin had healed him, he would never have truly recover." Gaius mutters sadly.

"Why did my uncle betray me?" Arthur asks. "He promised my mother he would look after me, yet he plotted with Morgana to have me killed."

"I can pretend I know a man's mind," Gaius answers. "But I believe Agravaine helped Morgana because he wanted revenge on your father, for his sister's death…. He blamed you father for your mother's death and much like his other brother wanted Uthur dead, but did not challenge him to single combat. By joining Morgana he could achieve Uthur's death."

"But then why go as far as to try and have me killed?" Arthur asks.

"I do not know." Gaius answers.

**Back in Camelot the feast to celebrate Samhain have begun, Arthur begins his speech. Back on the isle of the blessed Morgana and Morgause make their way over to the altar, Morgause pulls herself up on to it. Back in Camelot the midnight bell rings and everyone toast to Arthur. On the isle Morgana begins a spell and raise a dagger above her head, as Morgana sacrifices her sister; Merlin feels a shift in power, the world around him slows down and he hears the screams of the dead. Back on the isle the veil between words is torn open and Morgana is knocked out. Back in Camelot the Cailleach appears in the middle of the hall and calls Merlin by his druid name, Merlin collapses to the ground shivering and Lancelot rushes to his side.**

Gwen shakes her head. "I would never have been able to do that, if I was Morgana, no matter what Morgause said, I would never have been able to kill her. Family is more important than revenge."

Elyan nodes. "I could never have done that…. Even if it would have killed everyone who I hate, Gwen is right family is far more important than revenge."

Percival frowns. "Why did no one else see the Cailleach?"

"The Cailleach was warning Emrys of the events that happened at the isle," Taliesin replies. "Even if at the time Merlin had no idea who she was and what he warning meant."

"Why did Merlin collapse?" Leon asks.

"When the veil between worlds was torn, it disturbed the balance of the world," Gaius explains. "His magic is closely linked to the world around him, so he felt the disturbance and was affected by it."

Gwaine glares at Arthur. "You could have looked a bit more worried Arthur! You just rolled your eyes and looked annoyed."

"Well I didn't see you doing anything, Gwaine," Arthur snaps. "Plus I couldn't be seen leaving the feats because I was worried about a servant."

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**Back on the isle Morgana is woken by the Cailleach and she warns her she has every right to be afraid, for she tore the veil, released the Dorocha and created a new world, a world she wouldn't walk through alone. Emrys will walk in her shadow and he was her destiny and her doom. Back in Camelot, Lancelot rests an unconscious Merlin down on his bed as Gaius sets about treating him, but Gaius had no idea what was wrong with him. Later that night Merlin regains consciousness and makes his way down into the main chamber. Merlin tells Gaius who he saw and Gaius tells Merlin he saw the Cailleach, Gaius tells him visions are not uncommon for someone of Merlin's power and Merlin tells him it wasn't a vision. Gaius warns him someone may have torn the veil between worlds.**

"So that's why Agravaine wanted to hunt Emrys down," Arthur mutters. "Morgana must have told him about what the Cailleach said."

"So Merlin is Morgana's doom," Isolde asks. "Does that mean he is the only one who can kill her?"

Taliesin nodes. "When Morgana tore the veil between worlds she sealed her fate…. She broke a law set by the magic council, the punishment for braking that law is death. Merlin Emrys is the only one alive with the power to kill her, he is a high priest of the old religion."

Gaius shakes his head. "Never before had I felt a living person so cold…. Having magic as strong as Merlin does, can sometimes be a gift and other times a curse."

Tristan turns to Gaius. "Why was he so cold?"

"He felt the balance in the world change and that change was caused by the dead being released," Gaius answers. "He felt the cold the dead bought with them."

**The following day Merlin wakes Arthur, but no sooner is Arthur awake, Leon appears and tell him he is needed in the council chambers right away. Arthur and Merlin quickly make their way to the council chamber. A young women tells them that her village was attacked and everyone was killed but her and that the things that attacked them had no faces. Merlin, Arthur and the knights set out to the young women village to try and find out what happened. They at last come to, the village just as the sun is setting. They find everyone is frozen and dead, they split up and begin to search the village. Whilst Merlin is alone he tries to use magic but it doesn't work, luckily Lancelot saves him from the Dorocha that bursts out the forest.**

"The poor girl," Gwen mutters. "It must have been horrible."

Gwaine glances at Arthur. "Who knew you could be comforting, princess? I thought all royals had to be emotionless."

"It was my job as regent, to protect the people, if that means comforting them, then so be it." Arthur answers.

Percival turns to Gwaine. "Why when we were at that village, did you have to eat the apple? Everyone was on edge and you just made it worse."

Gwaine grins. "What can I say apples are just too nice not to eat."

"Merlin couldn't use magic against them," Percival mutters. "Why did he go to the isle of the blessed with us? He was just as powerless as the rest of us."

"The isle of the blessed, is a place of magic," Taliesin speaks up. "Without Merlin's help you would have been more powerless than you were with him."

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**Back in Camelot the Dorocha are attacking, people flee towards the citadel in hopes of protection and the guards are forced to light fires all around the castle. In one of the corridors, Gwen is hurrying towards the make shift hospital, when a Dorocha bursts through a window, killing the knight who standing there. Gwen manages to ward the Dorocha off, before rushing to the fallen knight's side, only to find him frozen to death. Later still Gaius is covering the dead when Merlin appears, Gaius works out something is bothering Merlin and Merlin quickly tells him, his magic is useless against the Dorocha. **

Gwen shakes her head. "Never in all my life, had a faced anything like that."

"Facing the horror of the Dorocha, is a thing many people will never have to face." Gaius speaks up. "Not many have the knowledge to even perform the ritual and all practices such as that are banned by the magic council."

"Could Merlin do it?" Tristan asks.

Gaius nodes. "Merlin has enough power to…. If the prophecies of his power are to be believed, he wouldn't need a blood sacrifice to open the veil…. But that is dark and complex magic and I doubt Merlin would ever want to use it."

"There are not many things Merlin is scared of," Taliesin speaks up. "So when Merlin fears something, you would do well to fear it too."

**The following day, Agravaine, Gaius and Merlin are in Arthur's chambers, as Arthur tries to come up with a way to save his people. Gaius tells Arthur the spirits that are attacking are the Dorocha, freed from the spirit world when the veil was torn. Gaius informs Arthur that it isn't known how to defeat them, no mortal has ever survived their touch. Later that night Merlin and Arthur talk about being scared and Arthur tells Merlin, he is scared, he just can't show it. That night the castle prepare for the Dorothea. Percival on the way back from a patrol of the lower town finds three children hiding and risk his life to carry them back to their home. Elyan saves all of them from a Dorocha and they return the children to their families.**

"That has to be wrong," Gwaine speaks up. "Merlin survived the touch of the Dorocha."

"But Merlin is not completely mortal and nor is he human." Taliesin speaks up. "Merlin is a creature of the old religion and a creature of magic, this means he isn't completely mortal…. He survived because he is Emrys."

"Merlin isn't human?" Elyan asked slightly shocked.

"He is a creature of the old religion," Taliesin answers. "But he in mind and soul is as human as you or I."

Isolde smiles. "You saved three children, at the risk of your own lives…. That is true bravery."

Elyan smiles. "It was more Percival than me…. I just couldn't let him have all the glory."

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**The following day, more and more people are arriving in Camelot looking for protection and shelter. Agravaine tells Arthur they cannot keep going like this, they need to find a way to get rid of the Dorocha. Gaius tells Arthur, the only way to get rid of the Dorocha is to travel to the isle of the blessed and repair the veil, which he feared would need a blood sacrifice. Arthur tells them he will sacrifice himself to save his people. After they have been dismissed Agravaine rides out and informs Morgana of what Arthur is planning to do. Morgana tells Agravaine the Cailleach told her of someone called Emrys and called him her doom, but she doesn't know what it means.**

Arthur shakes his head. "He did not join Morgana to kill my father, he joined her so she could take her place as queen."

"And Morgana is using him, just like Morgause used Cenred." Leon adds.

"Why is it my family always betray me?" Arthur asks. "I trusted my uncle with my life and I trusted his council when it came to matters of sate."

"He wanted power," Gwaine mutters. "And by helping Morgana he believed he would get more of it."

Percival sighs. "Agravaine was simply being used by Morgana and he was too blinds to see it."

**Back in Camelot Arthur is saying goodbye to his father, knowing he may not return. As he goes to leave, Uthur grabs his arm and begs him not to go, but Arthur has to. On his way out, he stops to speak with Gwen, he gets her to smile. Arthur gives the royal seal to Agravaine and tells him he was to look after the kingdom in case he did not return. Merlin is also preparing to leave and when Gaius asks him, where he is going,**** Merlin answer's it is destiny to protect Arthur. When Gaius asks how, Merlin tells him, he must take Arthur's place as blood sacrifice, he would gladly give his life to save all those he cares about. Gwen tells Lancelot to protect Arthur, Lancelot promises Gwen he will protect Arthur with his life.**

"Your father loved you, Arthur," Gaius smiled. "He just couldn't show…. If you had died…. I fear it would have broken his very spirit."

Arthur sighed sadly. "I hope he is proud of me."

Gwen smiled. "He knew you would be a great king and you are."

Isolde turned to Gaius. "It must have been hard, knowing Merlin was leaving and was planning on never returning."

"Merlin will always sacrifice himself to save others," Gaius answers. "I didn't even need to ask to know what he was planning, I had simply hoped I was wrong."

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**And so, Leon, Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot and Percival, ride out with Merlin and Arthur…. Their quest to repair the veil. They arrive at a cave and Merlin goes off to collect fire wood and Lancelot follows him. He tells Merlin, he shouldn't be there, he has no powers. Merlin tells him it is his duty to protect Arthur. That night Morgana has a dream of a battle field, as she lies injured on the ground, begging Emrys for help, Emrys stands over her and asks her if this was what she really wanted. She wakes and curses Emrys's name.**

"Merlin is brave," Elyan mutters. "He was as powerless against the Dorocha as we were and yet he still came with us."

Percival smiles. "Merlin may not look like a warrior, but he has the bravery of one and the courage."

"He said it was his duty to protect me, was that the only reason he came?" Arthur asks.

"It was his duty as your friend," Gaius answers. "As well as his destiny to keep you safe and protect you."

Gwaine nodes. "He was simply explaining it in a way Lancelot could best understand it…. Lancelot was all about honour and duty."

Isolde smiled. "Least Morgana's dream didn't show her Emrys in his true form."

"She still tried to hunt Emrys down, though," Gaius speaks up. "Merlin has great power, but I fear had Morgana found out he was Emrys at that time, he would not have had the skill to fight her and win…. She had learnt dark and complex magic."

**The following day Arthur, Merlin and the knights continue on their quest and stop at the ruins of an ancient city. They split up in to pairs and begin to collect fire wood, to use during the night. As night falls, Merlin and Lancelot are left where they had set up camp for the night and Merlin uses magic to light the fire. Elsewhere in the ruins Arthur and the knights are still collecting fire wood when the screams of the Dorocha fill the air, they quickly form a group and run back to camp. Later that night as Gwaine throws the last piece of fire wood on to the fire, Arthur volunteers to go and get more wood and Merlin goes with him.**

"I hope what happened at those ruins that night," Arthur mutters. "Never happens again... Merlin is the most selfless person I know."

"You hope Merlin never saves your life again?" Gwaine asks. "Or do you never want to see Merlin in a state so close to death again?"

"I never want to Merlin to risk his own life to save me," Arthur answers. "He can use magic, but I don't want him to sacrifice himself in my place…. He's my best friend and I never want to see him die."

Tristan looks at Arthur. "That's a bit selfish, isn't it? You would rather Merlin watch you die, when he knew he could have saved, than for you to watch him die."

"No," Arthur answers. "I just don't want him to risk his own life."

Leon shakes his head. "Merlin will always risk his life to save you…. He'll risk his life to save any of us, it's just the type of person Merlin is. I wouldn't be surprised if he risked his life to save a stranger."

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**As Merlin collects fire wood, Arthur stands guard. Suddenly a Dorocha appears and Arthur grabs Merlin and pulls them both out the way. The two of them run off into the ruins to find a place to hide. Back at the camp Lancelot knows they should be back by now, as the screams of the Dorocha echo through the camp. They all quickly set off in search of Arthur and Merlin. Back in the ruins Arthur and Merlin have found a place to hide. Arthur just glances at Merlin, who didn't seem to be feeling the cold, they both glance at door as a scream echoes outside.**

Tristan turns to Arthur. "You had a torch, you could have just scared the Dorocha off."

"There wasn't time," Arthur answered. "If I had seen it sooner maybe I could have, but it was too fast, all I could do was pull Merlin out the way."

Percival shakes his head. "We shouldn't have let you and Merlin go alone…. We had a second torch two, three people could have gone. The fire was still strong enough to keep the Dorocha at bay, so it would have been safe."

Gwaine nodes his agreement. "If we had all gone to collect fire wood, you wouldn't have been stood there for so long and we would all have been safe."

"No," Taliesin speaks up. "If you had all gone, many of you would not have returned. The Dorocha would have been drawn to you quicker."

**The knights continue to search and scare off a Dorocha. Arthur and Merlin are still in their hiding place. As they sit there Arthur tells Merlin, he has never been scared of dying before, and Merlin tells him he shouldn't start worrying now. Arthur tells Merlin he's still a puzzle and Merlin just smiled slightly before answering. They both agree if things had been different, they would have been great friends. Arthur tells Merlin he's a brave man between battles and Merlin tells him he doesn't know how many times he's saved his life.**

"Have you worked Merlin out yet?" Gwaine grins.

Arthur shakes his head. "Even though I know about his magic, I still can't work him out…. One second I think I know him and he'll go do something, which proves what I think wrong."

Leon smiles. "Least you know how many times Merlin has saved your life now."

"Yeah," Elyan laughs. "It's far more times than you've saved Merlin's."

"Thinking about it," Gwaine mutters. "Merlin has saved Camelot more times that you have."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

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**The knights are still searching for Arthur and Merlin, but still haven't found any trace of them. Arthur tells Merlin the darkest hour is just before the dawn and Merlin tells him it looks pretty dark right now. Suddenly a Dorocha bursts through the door, Merlin pulls Arthur back and jumps into its path. It sends him crashing back into a wall, where he falls to the ground. Seconds later the knight burst through the door and scare the Dorocha away. Everyone rushes over to Merlin and when they turn him over, he's frozen.**

"Merlin jumped in its path," Elyan mutters. "Knowing he likely wouldn't survive it."

"He shouldn't have done that." Arthur mutters.

"Yes he should have," Taliesin speaks up. "Merlin was the only one who had the power to survive, if Merlin had not taken you place, you would be dead."

"But did Merlin know he was going to survive?" Tristan asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "He did not."

"Then Merlin was willing to sacrifice his life to save Arthur's," Tristan answers. "He was willing to sacrifice his life to save a friend."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.**

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**The following day, Merlin is alive but weak. Arthur tells Leon they have to get Merlin back to Camelot, Leon warns him to abandon the quest would result in the deaths of hundreds of people. Lancelot offers to take Merlin back to Camelot alone. Arthur agrees and Percival carries Merlin to the horses once Merlin is secure, Lancelot and Merlin leave. Lancelot and Merlin travel to the valley of the fallen kings, meanwhile Arthur and the others continue on the quest. **

Arthur shakes his head. "Even though he was close to death he still wanted to continue on the quest so he could take my place."

"And he had every right to," Taliesin speaks up. "If Merlin had not stopped you from stepping through the veil, all hope for Albion would have been lost and Morgana would have taken the throne."

"It was my duty to protect Camelot, it should have been me who walked through the veil." Arthur answers.

"It is your duty to protect the kingdom and your people, yes," Taliesin answers. "But if you had sacrificed yourself, the kingdom would have fallen into ruin and Albion would have had no hope of a golden age."

Elyan nodes. "You were the heir to the throne, Arthur, if you had died no one would stand in Morgana's way."

**When Arthur and the knights stop for a break Leon and Arthur talk and Gwaine tries to steal honey from a bee hive, which doesn't end well for Gwaine. Back in the valley of the fallen kings, Lancelot has found a place for him and Merlin to stop the night. As Merlin is placed down next to a stream he reaches put his hand towards the water and the Vilia heal him and protect both him and Lancelot through the night. Elsewhere Arthur and the knights are making their way through some tunnels, but not after Percival saves Gwaine from a Dorocha. The quickly hide from a Wilddeoren, but are forced to run after Gwaine kills one.**

"You did do the right thing, Arthur." Leon mutters. "Merlin couldn't have continued with us, he was too weak…. He couldn't have even tried to heal himself with magic either with us with him, him going with Lancelot really was the best choice."

"The Vilia," Gaius smiles slightly. "Legend tells they save those of the pure hearts from watery graves and have healing powers beyond any magic mortals know."

Gwen smiled. "I'm glad they saved Merlin."

"Merlin is far stronger than any of us give him credit for." Percival mutters. "Even Lancelot who knew of his magic, still underestimated his strength."

"Thanks, Percy." Gwaine grins.

Percival glares at Gwaine. "No problem, little man."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "You should have known Wilddeoren hunt in packs."

"If I hadn't killed it, it could have killed me." Gwaine answers.

"You don't know that for sure."

"Well I wasn't going to take the chance."

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**Back in Camelot the main gates are being shut, while people outside panic and try to force their way through. Gwen watches from a window, Gaius appears at the top of the steps ordering guards on what supplies to collect. Gwen quickly informs Gaius that Agravaine ordered the gates to be shut at dusk. The two of them quickly asks their way to the council hall. After Agravaine tells Gaius why he has shut the gates Gaius nodes and goes to leave, but Gwen quickly speaks up, Geoffrey agrees with Gwen and Agravaine agrees to open the gates once more.**

"I should never have left Agravaine in charge," Arthur mutters. "At the time he was the only person I believed I could trust."

"You were not to know you uncle had sided with Morgana," Gaius speaks up. "He loved your mother dearly and I for one would never have believed he'd betray your mother in such a way."

Isolde turns to Gwen. "What you did was really brave, not many servants would speak up in front of the court in such a way."

Gwen smiled. "The people always have a right to be protected and what Agravaine was doing was leaving them to the mercy of the Dorocha."

"That is why you will make a fair and just queen, Guinevere," Arthur speaks. "You care about the people and stand up for what you believe to be right, even if it means going against the court."

**The following morning Lancelot wakes up to find Merlin gone, he quickly gets to his feet and looks round, only to find Merlin fishing for breakfast. After Merlin refuses to do as he's told and go back to Camelot, both Merlin and Lancelot start riding after Arthur and the others. Arthur and the others stop for a quick break and Leon comments on how even Gwaine has gone quite. Not far from Camelot, Agravaine is riding out to speak with Morgana. Agravaine tells Morgana about Gwen and how she stood up to him in court, Morgana quickly comes up with a plan on how to get rid of Gwen**.

Arthur shakes his head. "Why does Merlin never do as he's told, it's like he's incapable of following orders."

"He's been breaking the laws in Camelot since the day he was born," Percival points out. "I don't think not following a few simply rules and orders bothered Merlin."

Gwaine nodes. "If he had returned to Camelot princess, I doubt we'd be alive now…. Don't you think those Wyvern's disappeared awfully quickly when we first made it to the isle?"

Leon shakes his head. "No one ever even suspected Agravaine…. He was at ever meeting, he knew all our plans and was feeding all that information to Morgana."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Gwen." Elyan smiles, turning to Gwen.

"Her plan would have worked if it wasn't for Gaius finding me." Gwen smiles.

"What was her plan?" Tristan asks.

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**Later back in the castle Gwen is tending to Uthur, who is asking where his son is. As she leaves she finds Agravaine waiting for her, he asks her to come to his chambers that night so he can get her advice on what to do and Gwen agrees reluctantly. Gaius appears just as Agravaine is leaving and seems slightly suspicious of Agravaine true intensions. Elsewhere Merlin and Lancelot are riding through the woods, they find an old hunters house and find the owner dead. After laying the man to rest, Lancelot builds a fire and Merlin lights it with magic. Back in Camelot Morgana uses magic to break into the castle, she slips through the tunnels and towards the main castle. She's seen by a knight, but simply throws them into a wall.**

"Thank you, Guinevere," Arthur mutters. "Even when I wasn't there you still looked after my father."

Gwen smiled. "You cared about him, so I cared for him."

"You shouldn't have trusted him, Gwen." Leon mutters. "He's a lord and you're a serving girl."

Elyan nodes. "There are many lords who take advantage of serving girl and maids…. They know nothing will happen, because they are of higher class."

Gwen shake her head. "I truly thought he wanted my council."

"Your council is wise," Gaius speaks. "He knew you were right."

Tristan nodes. "And that damaged his pride. From what I have seen of Agravaine his pride is important."

**In Agravaine chamber Gwen is sitting at a table while Agravaine pours her a drink. As Gwen and Agravaine speak, Gwen begins to become uncomfortable with Agravaine being so close to her. Finally Agravaine lets her leave for the night and orders his guards to walk her home, as the guards walk Gwen home, Morgana appears on the battlements above them and knocks them all unconscious. Elsewhere Arthur and the knights have camped for the night and Elyan asks Arthur what they will see on the isle of the blessed. When Arthur tells him it is his burden to carry alone, Elyan tells him he is never alone, he has the knights and they would always stand beside him, no matter what. Everyone quickly gather around the fire as screams echo through the woods.**

"Morgana knew what she was doing, that's for sure," Gwaine mutters. "She was simply going to let the Dorocha kill you."

"She hates me only because she had a dream about me being queen," Gwen mutters slightly. "We used to be such good friends, the old Morgana would have been so happy."

"Be thankful," Gaius speaks up. "That the fates were on your side…. You were extremely lucky the Dorocha didn't kill you."

Leon nodes to Arthur. "What Elyan said is correct, you are never alone, and we will stand beside you through anything."

Arthur nodes. "I am glad for such loyalty."

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**Later that night Gaius goes in search of Gwen, after finding Uthur room empty and a mess, Gaius enter the lower town and finds Gwen alongside two dead guards. Elsewhere Merlin and Lancelot talk around the fire, Merlin tells Lancelot he doesn't have to continue on this quest and Lancelot tells him he must. Merlin works out it's because of Gwen, Lancelot tells him, and he promised her he would keep Arthur safe. Back in Camelot Gaius has got Gwen back to the safety of the castle and Gwen had woken up. She tells him the last thing she remembers is walking with the guards. As Gaius treats Gwen's head wound, Gaius tells her she wasn't attacked by the Dorocha.**

Elyan turns to Gaius. "Thank you, for going to find my sister."

Gaius nodes. "I am simply glad I found Gwen in time and it was miracle the fates spared her from the Dorocha."

Percival smiles sadly. "Lancelot was the only person, besides Gaius, who Merlin could be truly honest with and he died."

"Lancelot's death hit Merlin hard," Gaius sighs. "He blamed himself for what happened."

"Even if Lancelot didn't take Merlin's place, Merlin wouldn't have been able to walk through the veil." Taliesin explains. "His destiny wasn't complete."

"Arthur was going to sacrifice himself," Gwaine points out. "So why did Merlin stop him?"

Taliesin sighs. "Arthur is mortal and has no magic, Merlin is Emrys."

"So Merlin's immortal?" Elyan asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "You'd have to ask him that."

**Merlin and Lancelot are both asleep, a window behind them creaks in the wind and the draft blows put the candle they had lit and causes the fire to burn down. A shimmer as something moves through the air wakes Merlin and he turns and looks round just as a Dorocha's scream fills the air. Merlin throws the remains of his drink onto the fire causing it to burst to life and he and Lancelot run. As they run through the trees, chased by the Dorocha, Merlin summons the great dragon. They arrive in a clearing just in time for the dragon to save them, after the dragon lands and Merlin thanks him, Kilgharrah asks who Lancelot is. Kilgharrah warns Merlin, the spirit world demands nothing, it is the Cailleach that demands a price, he also warns Merlin he must not die, but when Merlin will not change his mind and so Kilgharrah and Merlin say there good byes.**

Leon shakes his head. "One of them should have been on watch."

"One of them may have," Percival speaks up. "But both had been traveling hard and fast to catch us up, we had a day's lead on them. The chances of who ever was on watch staying awake was unlikely."

"When are we going to meet the dragon?" Gwaine complains. "Lancelot meet it…. Arthur has even meet it!"

Arthur shakes his head. "Is Merlin ever going to learn, that his life is not worth less than mine?"

Gwen smiled. "I don't think it would have mattered, Arthur, Merlin is your friend. He'll always risk his life to save you."

"Merlin truly believed he would not be returning, didn't he?" Percival mutters.

Gaius nodes. "He did."

"The dragon cares an awful lot about Merlin," Tristan mutters. "He truly was upset to think it was the last time he would see Merlin."

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**The following day Merlin and Lancelot continue to try and catch Arthur and the others up. Lancelot asks Merlin, if he really will sacrifice himself for Arthur. Merlin tells him you must have a reason for doing it, something you believe in more than anything else. Later that night Arthur and the others have taken shelter in some old ruins, Gwaine takes off his socks, Elyan and Leon move to the other side of the fire and Gwaine sets fire to his socks. Arthur quickly calls for silence, after hearing something, they all fall silent and grab their weapons. Lancelot soon appears and informs them its bad news, Merlin's still alive.**

Gaius smiles. "Merlin truly believes you will unite all Albion, return magic to the land and be the greatest king this world has ever known…. But more than that he believes you would do the same for him."

Arthur nodes. "I would risk almost anything to save Merlin…. He's my best friend."

Gwaine shakes his head. "I'm always the butt of the jokes."

"Maybe you should wash more." Elyan grins.

Percival laughs. "And try not to set your socks on fire."

"Or," Leon adds. "Try not to get so drunk the night before training, that you still can't walk straight the following morning."

**Later that night Merlin and Arthur sit up talking. Merlin tells Arthur he doesn't need to sacrifice himself and that he would take his place. Arthur makes Merlin promise he will look after Gwen and Merlin tells him he'll make sure she is. The following day Merlin, Arthur and the knights take the boat over to the isle of the blessed. When they finally step foot on the isle, they are attacked by Wyvern and Merlin quickly ducks down and commands them away in dragon tongue, but not before Percival is injured. As they continue the Wyvern's return, so the group splits up, Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine and Lancelot continue to the veil, while Elyan, Leon and Percival fend off the Wyvern.**

"Merlin was right," Isolde speaks up. "The life of a prince and future king is worth far more than a servants."

"But Merlin wasn't just a servant," Percival points out. "He's the most powerful being alive."

Leon nodes. "And king of the druids."

"And the last dragon lord." Elyan adds.

Tristan thinks for a moment. "So if you were to judge the worthiness of life on titles, Merlin's life would be worth more."

Gwaine grins. "Next time we face some Wyvern's, remember to bring Merlin with us."

Gwen turns to Arthur. "By life would never be good, without you by my side."

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**Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine and Lancelot approach the veil, when suddenly the Cailleach appears. Arthur demands she fixes the veil and she tells him, it was not her who created it so why should she fix it. Merlin tells her innocent people are dying and she just laughs, Gwaine goes to attack her and she simply knocks him out. As Arthur walks forward to sacrifice himself and Merlin uses magic to knock him out. As Merlin approaches the Cailleach, he and Lancelot share a look. The Cailleach warns Merlin, his time among men is not over, even if he wanted it to be, as they talk Lancelot slips past them and stands before the veil. Merlin looks round just as Lancelot glances back and smiles at him, he steps through the veil and Merlin can do nothing to stop him. The veil is healed and all Merlin can do is stand there in horror and disbelief.**

Gaius glances at Gwaine. "Will you ever learn not to charge at people with powerful magic?"

"Plus both sorcerers who have knocked you out were old." Elyan grins.

"I was angry. The Cailleach laughed at the fact innocent people were dying and Dragoon insulted me." Gwaine looks slightly embarrassed. "Plus Dragoon was really Merlin, so he wasn't old."

Percival glances at Gaius. "Why would Merlin want to die?"

"Sometimes the pressure is just too hard to take," Gaius answers. "Merlin carries a heavy burden and he carries it alone…."

"You may believe you hold the fate of this kingdom in your hands, as king and knights of the realm," Taliesin adds. "But you do not. For Merlin Emrys, alone has the power to save or destroy your kingdom, which would have fallen long ago, if not for his help."

**Back in Camelot Arthur enters the main hall and pays tribute to Lancelot. Later they burn a pyre out in the court yard and everyone pays their respects. As everyone leaves the court yard, Gwen tells Arthur it was her fault, she made Lancelot promise her he would protect him and he promised with his life. Later that day Agravaine rides out and informs Morgana of what has happened, she blames Emrys for all her plans failing. Morgana tells Agravaine he must find Emrys and destroy him, because as long as he lives she cannot claim the throne. Back in Camelot Merlin is in his room, when he hears Agravaine enter and speak with Gaius. Agravaine asks Gaius if he knows of someone called Emrys, Gaius lies and tells him he has not. Once Agravaine has left, Merlin comes done from his room and Gaius tells him there is only one person who could know that name, Morgana. Gaius warns Merlin, that Morgana must never find out he's Emrys.**

Gwen looks at Gaius. "He didn't sacrifice himself for me or Arthur…. He did it for Merlin."

"Merlin has a great destiny," Gaius answers. "One that has been written since the dawn of time. Fate would never allow Merlin to die that day and Lancelot knew Merlin importance to the future…. He like many others died so he could build the future so many hope for."

"So that's why Agravaine was so keen on hunting Emrys down." Leon mutters. "He was only trying to kill Emrys so no one would stand in Morgana's way."

Tristan so his head. "Be glad she never found out who he was then."

"I would hate to think what she and Agravaine would have done, if they found out Emrys was Merlin."

Arthur turns to Gaius. "I thought you said you didn't know until after my father died."

Gaius smiled slightly. "My memory is not as good as it once was…. A lot of things have happened between then and now and not all of them pleasant."

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**Hey hope you liked that, next chapter should be up with in the week.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	45. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-four: Zafira.

Merlin stepped out to ledge overlooking the cave that had once been Kilgharrah's prison. Across from him was the large rock Kilgharrah had once been chained to until, Merlin had released him. The rock itself was now home to a single grave marker. The words hidden in shadows and almost impossible to make out in the dim light.

"In memory of the honourable and fallen,

Lord Balinor, dragon lord of the Ambrosius bloodline,

Father of Merlin Emrys and lover of Hunith of Ealdor,

May his soul forever rest in peace."

Merlin sighed, his mother had loved Balinor and Balinor had loved her…. But they had never been married. They were due to be married, but Uthur got wind of where Balinor was hiding and sent knights to hunt him down.

Balinor had left to save Hunith and had thought it safer to stay hidden, than to return to Hunith. When Uthur gave up the hunt, believing Balinor to be dead, he still didn't return and Merlin knew that's why his mother never spoke of him, she believed him to be dead also.

"Your father." Freya whispered, stepping out on to the ledge beside Merlin.

Merlin nodes. "There was so much he could have taught me."

"The ways of the dragon lords," Freya mutters. "Kilgharrah was your father's dragon, was he not?"

"Kilgharrah has lived for hundreds of years…. He was the first dragon hatched by the Ambrosius bloodline and the first dragon my father commanded…. The first dragon I commanded."

Freya smiled slightly. "Kilgharrah has always been loyal to your family, then?"

"He has, he's been with my family since the bloodline was created." Merlin answers with a small smile.

"I can't believe Uthur would imprison such a noble creature in a cave like this," Freya mutters. "I am glad you freed Kilgharrah, this is no place fit for a dragon."

Merlin smiled sadly. "I'm glad Kilgharrah is free…. But he caused so much damage, and what makes it worse is, I can't fault him for wanting revenge on Uthur…. I just wish innocent people hadn't been killed."

"I'm sure Kilgharrah regrets causing the deaths of those people," Freya mutters, gripping Merlin's hand. "But he has helped save this kingdom since then and he has helped save you…. His loyalty lies with you and only you."

Suddenly the sounds of echoing footsteps in the tunnel causes Merlin to jumps, he quickly runs over to the stairs leasing up into the dungeons and peers up them, only to find a large group of men making their way down the steps and carrying weapons. Merlin had once seen King Sarrum hunt those with magic with weapons such as the men carried.

"We have to get out of here," Merlin mutters. "I'm sure they are King Sarrum's men."

"Where can we go?" Freya asks. "The steps are the only way out!"

Merlin smiles. "They are, but I know a place we can hide until they leave."

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"Lady Freya."

Freya looks up at the sound of her name being called.

"Bercilak?" Freya asks.

Bercilak smiles and steps forward. "What are you doing here, Lady Freya?"

"I-I, I was with Merlin," Freya finally stutters out. "Some men they…. They attacked us. We had just made it out of Camelot…. They came out of nowhere. Merlin grabbed by hand as we run, when we reached a clearing, he stopped."

"The men?" A young women asks, from beside Bercilak. "Who were they?"

"King Sarrum's men." Freya answers.

The second girls suddenly looks alarmed. "You said Merlin stopped, what happened?"

"When the men entered the clearing behind us, Merlin asked them who they were. They said they were King Sarrum's men and by order of their King they were to catch or kill anyone with magic."

"King Sarrum?" A young man speaks up. "He rules Amata, what were his men doing in Camelot?"

"There was a treaty," Freya answers. "Merlin told them they had no right to hunt us in Camelot. The treaty that allowed them to hunt us, had been with Uthur and not Arthur. But they said soon king Sarrum is to resign the treaty with Arthur."

The two young women share a look.

"This is bad news." One of them mutters.

The second nodes. "If King Arthur signs that treaty, King Sarrum will be able to march straight through Camelot and across our border."

"The council must be informed," Bercilak speaks up. "We have to get back to the tower."

One of the two young women suddenly turns to Freya. "I'm sorry we haven't introduces our self's. I'm Sefa, this is Kara and he's Daegal."

Freya smiled. "I'm Freya."

Bercilak shock his head. "No, you're Freya Emrys, wife of Merlin Emrys, lady of the lake and soon to be Queen of the druids."

"My lady." Both Sefa and Kara bow their heads.

Freya glances questionably at Bercilak, who grins.

"They're druids," Bercilak explains. "Most druids will bow to you."

Kara suddenly faces Bercilak. "Why did you call her 'lady'? People who are not druids or don't have magic, wouldn't call her that."

"Lady Freya is from Avalon," Bercilak answers. "In Avalon Freya is the lady of the lake."

Daegal frowns. "But the lady of the lake is the gatekeeper to Avalon. How can you be the lady of the lake, you can't be the gatekeeper if you live in the mortal world."

Freya smiled slightly. "I am the lady of the lake, I simply have to return to Avalon for one a week every year, to let souls worthy of a place in Avalon through…. Those who are not worthy of a place are sent to the spirit world."

"Do we have to talk about this now?" Kara asks. "We need to get back to the tower and inform the council of what King Sarrum is planning."

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Merlin stood watching the men who had surrounded him. He had just cast a spell which sent Freya to the perilous lands, where she hopefully would be safe. He knew he could have gone with her, but he needed to find out more information on what King Sarrum was planning.

Plus he had summoned the Kilgharrah when they had first started running, hoping he would meet them at the clearing, but he hadn't appeared. If Merlin was to just disappear, Kilgharrah could fear the worst upon finding a clearing full of Sarrum's men.

"Where did the witch go?" One of the men sneered.

Merlin glared at him. "She was no witch!"

"She had magic just like you, sorcerer," A second spat. "So she is a witch."

Merlin laughed. "No, she is a sorceress…. And I am no sorcerer."

"You have magic," A third yells. "Don't think for one moment you can lie to us, boy."

"I am not lying," Merlin answered. "I am no sorcerer."

"Then what are you then?" The first snapped.

"I'm a warlock." Merlin answered, glancing towards the sky, still no sign of the Kilgharrah.

The second glares at him. "You still have magic, it makes no difference what you are…. You'll all die the same death at Sarrum's hand."

"But what makes you think King Arthur, will sign a treaty with your tyrant King?" Merlin asks.

The third man points his already drawn sword at Merlin. "You dare to insult our King?"

"Insult?" Merlin asks. "I did not insult him, he is a tyrant."

The man lets out a yell and charges towards Merlin sword raised. Merlin takes a step back and his eyes flash gold, the man is thrown across the clearing, before he lands at the base of a tree. The first man holds up his hand, stopping the others from attacking.

"King Arthur would never sign a treaty with such a tyrant." Merlin speaks again, glancing towards the fallen man, he hadn't meant to do that, his magic had acted on instinct.

"King Arthur will sign king Sarrum's treaty," The first speaks up. "He is Uthur Pendragon's son."

"That means nothing," Merlin answers. "Uthur Pendragon would never have made peace with the druids, but Arthur has."

"There is no peace between Camelot and the druids." The second man hisses. "King Arthur would never lower himself to such a level where he would forge peace between such a mighty kingdom and magical scum."

Merlin glares at him. "My people are not scum. They are powerful. They are wise. And they are to be respected."

"Your people?" A forth laughs. "What are you, wizard, there King?"

"I told you, I'm a warlock," Merlin answers. "And yes, I am king of the druids."

The first man growls. "So it's you…. Sarrum has wanted you dead for years. Men! Kill him!"

But before any of them can move, a dragons' roar filled the air, causing Sarrum's men to back up slightly and look skywards.

Merlin smiled slightly. "Did I mention, I'm also the last dragon lord?"

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Freya walked up the steps, Iseldir had told her Alice and Hunith lived in the physicians' quarters and she wanted to visit Merlin's family, the family she had married into. She had thought about waiting for Merlin, but she knew she'd go out of her mind with worry if she sat on her own.

Bercilak, Daegal, Kara and Sefa, had all gone off somewhere to do something, possibly to inform the council of what King Sarrum was planning. Merlin had told her, he and Queen Annis had signed a peace treaty, not long before he went to Avalon and so they would have one ally in the fight against King Sarrum, if his plan worked.

Freya didn't believe King Arthur would let King Sarrum use his kingdom as a safe passage for his army to pass through. King Arthur may have a large distrust of magic, but she didn't believe he'd let King Sarrum threaten the life, family, friends and people of his best friend. Plus the druids had made peace with Camelot and this kingdom was made up of a large number of druids, to let King Sarrum march upon this kingdom would result in him breaking his word.

From what Freya had heard of King Arthur, he was a man of his word and a man of honour. He didn't break the promises and oaths he swore, unless he was forced to. And there were not many who could force him to do anything against his will, unless they used magic and King Sarrum would never use magic. And no wielder of magic would be foolish enough to do his bidding…. It was possible a couple of sorcerers working for Mordred would try, but it was unlikely.

At last Freya reached the door to the physicians' quarters, she reached up to knock on the door and stopped. What if Alice and Hunith didn't like her, they were bound to know Merlin had gone to Avalon to be married, but not through choice. From what Merlin had told her of his mother, Hunith was someone who believed, much like Merlin, that you should only marry because you are in love and not because it was arranged.

Suddenly the door before her was pulled out and a women with grey hair almost walked into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry child," She quickly apologises. "I didn't see you there. Can I help you at all?"

Freya smiled slightly. "It's okay…. I was wondering if you could tell me where Alice and Hunith are."

"I'm Alice, child. How may I help you?" The women with grey hair, Alice, answers.

"I'm Freya Emrys," Freya explains. "Merlin's wife…."

Alice looks at her for a moment before smiling. "From Avalon, correct?"

Freya nodes. "Merlin and I returned to this realm this morning."

"Where is Merlin?" Alice asks. "I thought he would be with you."

"We went to Camelot to visit Balinor's grave," Freya explains. "On the way here we run into some of king Sarrum's men…. Merlin sent me ahead, I think he wanted to find out more information on what King Sarrum is planning. He'll be back soon…. I hope."

Alice smiled. "Well don't just stand there, come in. I'm sure Hunith will be over joyed to meet you, Freya Emrys."

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The ebony dragon dropped Merlin on the ledge high in the White Mountains. Merlin quickly scrambled to his feet and turned as the dragon landed not far from him, he took a step back. This was the dragon who had saved him from king Sarrum's men, but it was not the dragon he had summoned, nor had he ever seen it before.

"That's impossible," Merlin finally mutters. "Kilgharrah said Aithusa would be the last dragon."

"Kilgharrah is not mistaken," The ebony dragon answers in dragon tongue. "Aithusa is younger than I…. If he is not killed, he will live longer than me. He will be the last dragon."

Merlin shakes his head. "You can't be real…. Kilgharrah said all the dragons were killed in the great purge."

The ebony dragon tilts its head to the side. "I could not fly when Balinor summoned my kind to Camelot. One of my wing were injured. Once my wing had healed I fled this land, to the lands beyond the seas…. It was a couple of years ago I heard your call, so I returned in hope of finding you, but you do not summon Kilgharrah often."

Merlin smiled slightly. "The great dragon is believed to be dead by all, but a few…. All those in this land believe Arthur Pendragon killed him when he was prince. To summon him, risks him being seen, I only summon him when there is no one else to turn to for advice or when I am injured and in need of aid."

"They are fools to believe Kilgharrah is dead," The ebony dragon replies. "Only dragon lords or those with magical weapons can kill dragons."

Merlin smiled. "That is the only reason I am glad Uthur hates magic and makes people fear anything to do with magic…. Those who knew dragons can only be killed by dragon lords or magical weapons, wouldn't dare speak up for fear of execution. And therefore both mine and Kilgharrah secret is safe... Everyone thinks Kilgharrah is dead and no knows I'm a dragon lord or Balinor ever had a son."

Before the ebony dragon has chance to reply, the sound of beating wings fills that air and seconds later, Kilgharrah lands on the ledge behind them. Aithusa lands on Merlin's shoulder and growls at the ebony dragon.

Kilgharrah studies the ebony dragon for a moment before speaking. "Zafira."

Merlin glances at Kilgharrah, then at the ebony dragon, then at Kilgharrah again. "Zafira?"

Kilgharrah nodes. "This dragon is Zafira, for a long time I feared her lost…. She was the last dragon to be hatched before the great purge."

Merlin looks at the ebony dragon, Zafira, before glancing at Kilgharrah once more. "You knew she could still be alive and you didn't tell me?"

"I feared her dead," Kilgharrah answers. "For a long time I refused to be fooled into thinking there were other dragons, I feared I was the last of my king, trapped in a cave by a tyrant king."

Merlin turns back to face Zafira. "Who named you?"

"Balinor of the Ambrosius bloodline," Zafira answers. "I was named by your father."

Merlin smiled. "I'm Merlin Emrys, son of Balinor Ambrosius and the last of the dragon lords."

Zafira bows her head and Merlin places a palm on her forehead and the world explodes in an electric blue light.

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Bercilak stood before the magic council. "I have news concerning King Sarrum of Amata."

The head councilman studies Bercilak for a moment. "What news do you bring us?"

"King Sarrum plans to sign a treaty with King Arthur of Camelot," Bercilak explains. "A treaty King Sarrum had with the late King Uthur Pendragon."

"What is the nature of this treaty?" The head councilman asks.

Bercilak shakes his head. "Of that I am not sure, but I do know if the treaty is signed it will bring war to our kingdom."

"King Sarrum and King Uthur, both have a strong hatred for magic," Alator speaks up. "Together they formed a treaty which would allow them to pass through each other's lands unchallenged and unhindered if they were in pursuit of sorcery."

"If the treaty is signed, king Sarrum will have free passage through Camelot, straight to our borders." Iseldir adds. "Much like the alliance between the five kingdoms, armies can pass through each other's lands, if they are going to war…. But unlike the alliance between the five kingdoms, King Sarrum will not have to ask for that passage…. He will simply be able to send an army."

The head councilman nodes. "We cannot afford a battle on two fronts."

"We cannot allow this treaty to take place." A councilman speaks up.

"But how could we stop it?" A second asks.

Then head councilman turns back tom Bercilak. "Do you know when this treaty signing is to take place?"

"I do not." Bercilak answers.

"Them there is little we can do to stop it," The head councilman speaks. "We must simply hope Arthur Pendragon will refuse to sign this treaty."

"There is something we could do," A councilman speaks up. "We can form more alliances with the kingdoms around us."

"Queen Annis is not the only one who hates King Sarrum," A second adds. "There are other kingdoms that have asked for our alliance and there are other kingdoms who would be willing to sign an alliance."

A third speaks up. "If King Arthur sees how many allies we have, he may not agree to such a treaty with King Sarrum. After all if King Sarrum was to call upon Camelot, to help him fight our potential allies, Camelot would be able to do nothing, they have an alliance with Queen Annis, that alone would stop them attacking us if Queen Annis believed us to be a stronger ally."

The head councilman nodes. "Send out the messengers, we offer all kingdoms an alliance, bar Camelot and Amata."

"Are you sure that is wise?" Alator asks. "Camelot and Amata are not the only kingdoms with a strong hatred of magic."

"We have little choice," The head councilman speaks up. "We cannot afford a war with King Sarrum."

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**Hey, hoped you liked that chapter. Next up is the wicked day and Aithusa, which will hopefully be up in the next couple of days. Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOflife1997.**


	46. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-five: The wicked day and Aithusa.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.**

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**In Camelot a circus is just arriving to perform at Arthur's birthday feast, Merlin is watching them with excitement from Arthur's room. Arthur appears behind him and isn't the slightest bit impressed, Merlin tells him it must be a terrible burden to have such birthday celebrations and Arthur tells Merlin he has the mind of a child. Yet Merlin is still more intelligent than Arthur. In the main hall the preforms are setting up their acts and are preparing a celebration Arthur will never forget. Elsewhere in the castle Arthur is talking to Uthur about what the council have been discussing and Uthur tells him he should not talk about such things today, it's his birthday. Arthur tells him there are plans for his birthday celebration and Uthur tells him he wouldn't miss it.**

Gwaine looks at Arthur. "How could you not be excited? You got a whole circus performing for you!"

"I don't have the mind of a child, Gwaine." Arthur answers. "Unlike you, who seems quite impressed with a man throwing sticks in the air."

"No, he doesn't have a mind of a child," Percival answers. "He simply enjoyed the celebrations, due to the fact he got free mead and wine."

Gwen shakes her head. "You shouldn't talk about matters of state on your birthday Arthur, it the one day you can really enjoy yourself."

"I was regent," Arthur answers. "I did not have time to enjoy myself, I was running the kingdom."

Leon shakes his head. "We should have known they were planning something."

"I doubt you could ever have known they were planning something," Tristan answers. "Circus acts have a lot of dangerous acts, knife throwing is simply one of them."

Isolde nodes. "You could never have known."

**Later that night the circus perform at Arthur feast. Merlin watches with a smile, the knight's watch and cheer, Arthur and Uthur also watch, smile and laugh. At last the man doing the knife throwing asks for a volunteer, when no one speaks up, he asks Arthur and he agrees. As Arthur hands Merlin he cloak, the two of them exchange a few words. Arthur is tied up on the wheel and Merlin and Gwen watch with worry as the knives are thrown, even Uthur looks slightly worried. Everyone is relieved when it's over and Arthur is perfectly fine, Arthur returns to his seat and Merlin hands him his cloak. The knife thrower talks to his companion, telling him the sedative on the apple will take effect in a couple of hour and Arthur will be completely defenceless.**

"He worked his plan well," Elyan mutters. "If Arthur had refused to be the volunteer, he would have appeared a coward in front of the whole court."

Leon nodes. "Do you think Merlin knew they were planning something, or was he just worried Arthur would get hurt if one of them missed."

"I think," Gaius speaks up. "Merlin thought both, if one knife was to miss and kill Arthur, it would be the perfect cover for an assassination and you could never prove the knife thrower killed Arthur purposely."

Gwen grips Arthur's arm as she watches the knives being thrown a second time. "I was so worried something was going to go wrong."

Arthur smiled slightly. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"Did Merlin use magic to slow down the knife?" Percival asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "He made his sight speed up, making everything else appear slower."

"There was a sedative on the apple," Tristan mutters. "They really worked there plan out well."

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**Later that night, Arthur returns to his chamber with the help of Merlin. He appears to be drunk and walks into a pillar, much to Merlin amusement. After Arthur declares he is glad Uthur enjoyed himself that night, he decides to go and visit his father. Merlin tells him, he doesn't think that's a good idea, Arthur asks why and Merlin tells him it's because he isn't wearing any trousers. And so Arthur makes his way to his father's chamber, but fails to notice he's being followed. Once Arthur has vanished from sight, the knife thrower knocks out the guards and steals a sword.**

"Drunk already, princess?" Gwaine laughs. "You didn't even drink that much!"

"I was not drunk!" Arthur snaps.

"I believe," Gaius speaks up. "Arthur appeared drunk due to the sedative they placed on the apple…. If Arthur was to just pass out, it would cause a lot of suspicion and possibly cause panic."

Leon nodes. "If Arthur had passed out, he would have been placed under heavy guard and the assassins would never have been able to get past them all."

Elyan grins. "How did you not notice your trousers had fallen down?"

"My mind had been drugged with a sedative," Arthur mutters. "So it wasn't working properly."

"No change there then." Gwaine grins.

**Meanwhile Arthur has taken a seat beside his father. He notices the reflection of the knife thrower come up behind him, wielding a sword. He quickly grabs a sword and defends himself, but he sedative is taking affect and Arthur ends up on the floor, weapon less and hardly able to move. As the knife thrower goes to kill Arthur, Uthur grabs Arthur's fallen sword and defends his son. The knife thrower and Uthur battle, as Arthur can only watch. At last Uthur gets the upper hand, as he kills the knife thrower, but the knife thrower drives a knife into Uthur's side. Arthur just manages to catch Uthur as he falls, as the two of them lie on the floor, Uthur tells Arthur he always loved him and he knows Arthur will make him proud.**

Leon shakes his head. "We should really have put more than two guards there…. Anyone could have got past them."

"It was the kings' chambers," Percival reminds him. "You would have to have got through the whole castle and past all the guards on patrol to get there."

Elyan nodes his agreement. "No one was expecting an attack from within the castle."

"We should have been prepared…. We knew Morgana was active again, we should have known she'd try something at least." Arthur sighs.

"But Morgana didn't send them," Gwen speaks up. "It was King Odin."

"It was Agravaine who said they were sent by King Odin," Gwaine speaks up. "How do we know that wasn't just a cover for his and Morgana's plan?"

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**The following day in Camelot, Gaius has finished checking on the king. Arthur and Gwen are also present. Arthur tells Gaius there has to be something they can do, but Gaius informs him there is nothing they can do, the blade had touched Uthur heart, causing internal bleeding and it was only a matter of time before Uthur died. Merlin watches all this from near the door. Later in the council hall Agravaine tells Arthur they traced the assassin to Odin's kingdom and Odin was the one responsible for the attack. Merlin appears seconds after Agravaine has left, Uthur's condition has not changed and there was nothing more Gaius could do. Later that night Agravaine goes to visit Morgana and tells her Uthur is dying. Morgana tells Agravaine they must strike the kingdom while Arthur is emotional weak, but Agravaine warns her to pick her moment carefully.**

Gaius sighs sadly. "I am truly sorry Arthur, but there was nothing I could do for him."

"You practice magic, Gaius," Arthur replies. "Could you have saved him?"

Gaius shakes his head. "Uthur was too close to death, for a sorcerer of my power to save him…. Even Merlin might not have been able to save him, without a death of someone else to take Uthur's place."

"But whose life would Merlin have traded?" Isolde asks.

"He would have traded his own, wouldn't he?" Gwen asks, slightly horrified. "If a life had to be given to save Uthur, he would have given his own."

"I fear he may have," Gaius answers. "Merlin would never have sacrifice the life of another, when it could have been his."

"But why would Merlin do that?" Tristan asks. "If Merlin had healed Uthur I doubt Uthur would have thanked him."

**The following day Arthur watches as Gwen tidies Uthur's room. Arthur tells Gwen he can't watch his father die, they was still too much he wanted to tell him. That night Merlin watches from one of the windows in Arthur's chambers, as the people of Camelot gather in the court yard holding candles, he only looks away when Arthur enters the room. Arthur joins Merlin at the window, he tells Merlin the people may have given up hope of his father's recovery, but he won't. Merlin tells Arthur it's hard to accept, but nothing more can be done for his father. Arthur quickly tells him one thing can be done to heal his father, he can be healed with magic. To say Merlin is surprised is an understatement.**

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "I know how hard it was for you, Arthur, but Uthur's time in this world had come to an end."

"He ruled his kingdom for many years," Leon agrees. "He had lived his life to the full and he…."

"He was broken, Uthur would never have recovered from Morgana's betrayal," Gaius speaks up. "As much as he appeared to be recovering, it would have only taken Morgana to attack again and he to return to state he was in."

Arthur shakes his head. "He would have recovered."

Gaius shakes his head. "In body, maybe. But in heart and soul, he was broken…. Even if Morgana hadn't placed the charm on Uthur, he may still have died. His body was weak and may not have been able to cope with such powerful magic."

"Mortals cannot live for ever," Percival speaks up. "Uthur would have died at some stage and he would never have been well enough to take the thrown."

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**Later Merlin tells Gaius Arthur is planning on using magic to heal his father, Gaius is also highly surprised. Gaius warns Merlin he cannot expose himself like this, if he was to try and heal Uthur. Merlin tells Gaius he'll heal Uthur in the form of Dragoon, Gaius warns him, last time he used the ageing spell, he almost got burnt at the stake and Merlin tells him it's worth the risk. Gaius tells Merlin Uthur won't be thankful and would more than likely have him hanged, Merlin tells him he knows Uthur will never change, but this could prove to Arthur that not all magic is evil. Gaius tells Merlin he can't stand by and let Merlin do this, Merlin warns him, not to try and stop him, because he's going to do this. Gaius warns him, he's playing a dangerous game, Merlin just smiles and answers, he's been playing a dangerous game since the first time he set foot in Camelot.**

"That boy," Gaius sighs. "There are times I wonder how he still has that head of his, on his shoulders."

Tristan shakes his head. "Merlin is brave…. He would risk his life, to heal the man who would have him killed for the way he was born…. That takes some real courage, to heal and save the life of your enemy, all the while knowing he could be killed for it."

"If that was me," Isolde mutters. "I wouldn't have risked it…. Like Gaius said, the last time Merlin used the ageing spell, he was almost burnt at the stake."

"Merlin plays a dangerous game," Gaius speaks. "A game that if he loses will result in the loss of his life."

"Who would have thought sweet, innocent, Merlin was in truth a gabbler." Gwaine grins, trying to lighten the mood.

**Later still Merlin returns to Arthur's chambers to talk to him about the use of magic to heal his father. Merlin tells Arthur, Gaius knows of an old man who may be able to help. Arthur tells Merlin to gather supplies, they ride at first light, but not before asking Merlin, if he would do the same to save his father. After Merlin has gone, Arthur goes to see Agravaine and tells him he planning on using magic to heal his father. Agravaine tells Arthur not to do this, his mother died because of magic, but Arthur tells Agravaine, his mind is made up. **

"I shouldn't have asked about Merlin's father." Arthur mutters. "He died in his arms and he could do nothing to save…. He couldn't even use magic."

Gwen places a comforting hand on his arm. "You couldn't have known about Merlin's father, he never told you."

"Yet he should have been able to trust me enough as a friend to have told me." Arthur replies.

Gaius shakes his head. "Being a dragon lord put Merlin at risk of people finding out about his magic…. Merlin could not take that risk."

"And that's where everything started to go wrong," Percival mutters. "Agravaine will no doubt tell Morgana about your plan to heal Uthur with magic and she'll do all in her power to stop it."

"You would have thought, she'd let Uthur be healed with magic," Elyan mutters. "It would prove to Arthur magic can be used for good and magic would be freed once Arthur became king."

Gwaine shakes his head. "Morgana didn't want magic freed, she wanted the thrown."

"Maybe if she was simply fighting for magic to be freed, she would have let Uthur be healed." Leon nodes. "But all she was fighting for was the throne."

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**The following day, Arthur and Merlin ride out to try and find the sorcerer who might heal Uthur. They arrive at an old hunt, which reminds Arthur of charcoal makers hunt. Merlin tells him, a sorcerer can hardly make a living using magic. As Arthur makes his way to the hunt, Merlin stays with the horses and Arthur has never before meet someone who is so scared so often. Arthur enters the hut to find it empty and returns outside, just in time to see Merlin making his way into the woods. After asking Merlin where he is going, Merlin tells him he needs to pee. Merlin makes sure Arthur has gone onto the hut before he finds a place to hide and quickly casts the spell.**

Elyan smiles. "Merlin is right, sorcerers can't make a living using magic, but I highly doubt the charcoal making business is the best way of making money."

"I don't think there are many things that truly scare Merlin," Gwaine grins. "Least of all himself."

Arthur turns to Gwaine. "I didn't know Merlin was going to be the sorcerer who tried to heal my father."

"I think you'll find," Taliesin speaks up. "Merlin fears himself more than anything he has ever faced. He fears he own power and that one day his powers will corrupt him…."

"Why would he fear his own power," Percival asks. "He is the kindest person I know…. He has no lust for power."

"Merlin's is the strongest being of magic to have ever lived or will ever live," Taliesin answers. "He has the power that can match any god and a heart purer than gold…. But even gold can be tainted with elements that are not pure."

**Back in the hut, Arthur is looking round, he knocks a pot off the table with his sword. He quickly kicks as many prices as he can, under the table, with his foot, but suddenly Dragoon appears through the door. As Arthur reaches for his sword, Dragoon asks him, if he has come to kill him. Arthur tells him that was not his intension, as Dragoon makes his way toward Arthur, he stands on a piece of the broken pot. Arthur admits to breaking the pot, Dragoon hands Arthur and broom and makes him sweep up the broken pot. Dragoon then demands to know why Arthur has come here, he was sure it wasn't just to break his favourite pot and Arthur admits if he had known who he was he would never have come. But as Arthur leaves Dragoon tells Arthur the reason he came and Arthur asks him if he'll help. Arthur tells him he'll do anything if his father is healed. Dragoon tells Arthur he does not want gold, he simply wants him and his kin to be able to practice magic freely and not be hunted.**

"Arthur!" Gwen exclaims. "You have to be more careful! You cannot go into other people homes and just destroy their possessions!"

"Merlin didn't live there," Arthur answers. "It was just some old hut he was using."

"And how would you know?" Gwen asks. "Merlin could have known the person who lived there and asked them if he was able to use it."

"Merlin couldn't have known someone who lived that far from Camelot." Arthur answers. "He doesn't have the time to travel that far!"

"Merlin has disappeared for weeks on end and never told us where he's been," Gwen answers. "He could have gone anywhere!"

Gwaine nodes his agreement. "You never know a druid could have lived there and offered Merlin help, he is their king after all."

"Druids live in the woods or in caves," Arthur answer. "They do not live in huts."

"Druids do not live in caves and small camps in the middle of forest through choice," Tristan snorts. "They live there because it safe from people like your father and easy to escape from if they are attacked."

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**Dragoon agrees to help heal Uthur, after Arthur swears people like Dragoon will not have to live in fear once he is king. Arthur tells Dragoon they have to leave now, he can have Merlin's horse and Dragoon disagrees. Dragoon tells Arthur he will come to Camelot at night fall, but no sooner. Once Arthur agrees and tells him where to meet him at nightfall, Dragoon makes Arthur wait in the hut until he's gone. Once outside, Dragoon finds a place to hide and downs a potion quickly. Back in the hut Arthur sits down, sniffs a cup and almost knocks it over twice. After getting bored, Arthur leaves the hut and looks for Merlin, who appears out the trees. After Arthur decides there is something really wrong with Merlin they head back to Camelot.**

"That is all Merlin has ever wanted," Gaius sighs. "He just wants to be free."

Gwen smiles sadly. "He can never return to Camelot…. Well least not until magic is legal."

"When I return to Camelot," Arthur vows. "I will make the peace we have with the druid's official…. But I fear it will be a while until the council are convinced magic is an ally, not an enemy."

Leon smiles. "Merlin complains about the excuses Gaius come up with yet he lets Arthur believe he had to pee for the whole time Arthur was speaking to Dragoon."

"Yeah," Percival agree. "He could have simply said there were some herbs in the area that Gaius wanted him to pick and it would save him having to come back later."

**Back in Camelot Merlin starts looking for a spell capable of healing Uthur, as he tells Gaius everything went fine, other than the fact Arthur thinks Merlin has something seriously wrong with his bladder. If this works, Merlin and his kind will never have to hide again. Gaius again warns Merlin is something goes wrong he could pay with his life. Merlin tells Gaius he lives with the risk of being exposed every day, his destiny was to return magic to the land once Arthur was king and maybe this was the time. And so Merlin begins to search through books for a spell to heal Uthur, after being able to find none, Gaius gives him a book with a spell in it. Elsewhere Agravaine is riding out of Camelot to inform Morgana of Arthur's plan to heal Uthur. Morgana enchants a necklaces, bounding it to the left hand power, Agravaine has to place it around Uthur neck and it will reverse any healing magic and increase it tenfold.**

Gwaine glares at the screen. "How could Agravaine even want to side with her? That was quite clearly dark magic!"

"Agravaine was hungry for power and blinded by lust," Taliesin speaks. "He believed by siding with Morgana, he would gain more power and would rule by Morgana's side."

"What is the left hand path?" Gwen asks, turning to Gaius.

"In basic terms," Gaius explains. "The left hand path, is dark and black magic. Magic such as necromancy, voodoo, summoning demons of the other world and invoking the spirits of dead for dark purposes."

"Would Merlin practice magic like that?" Elyan asks.

"Merlin is a high priest of the old religion," Taliesin explains. "He has spent time in Avalon, during which time he learnt the ways of the high priesthood…. High priests practice both the left and right hand paths of magic."

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**Back in Camelot Gwen has just finished tending to Uthur, when she looks up to find someone standing in the door way to the room and its Agravaine. Agravaine sends Gwen of to collect fore wood to start a fire, so Uthur will not be effected by the cold. As soon as Gwen has gone Agravaine walks over to the bed and places the charm around Uthur's neck. Back in Gaius's chamber, Gaius is helping Merlin prepare the spell he's going to use to try and heal Uthur. Suddenly they hear Arthur calling from the corridor outside Gaius's chamber and Merlin quickly finds a place to hide, as Arthur enters. When Arthur asks where Merlin is, Gaius recommends checking the tavern. Arthur leaves shutting the door behind him, revealing Merlin, who had hide behind it. And Merlin isn't the slightest but impressed Gaius had used the tavern excuse again and asks him if he canonise the second or third idea that pops into his head next time. Soon after Merlin leaves to go and meet Arthur in the form of Dragoon.**

Gwen shuts her eyes for a second. "I shouldn't have left."

"Agravaine would only have dismissed you," Elyan mutters. "And you would have gotten into trouble had you refused the orders of a lord."

"I believe Merlin and I are also to blame," Gaius speaks up. "We should have known Arthur would tell Agravaine and we should have known Agravaine would tell Morgana…. Both of us should have known Morgana would've done something like that."

Gwaine laughs. "Merlin was hiding behind the door, princess! You should really check your surroundings more."

"Merlin could have been an assassin," Leon agrees. "You really need to be more observant."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "I doubt Gaius would have just stood there, if Merlin had been an assassin."

**Arthur stands waiting for Dragoon who soon appears behind him. As Arthur and Dragoon make their way through a secret passage, into the castle, Dragoon stops for rest, much to the annoyance of Arthur, who is then forced to carry him. Arthur dismisses the guards and Dragoon makes his way into the kings' chamber. After Arthur voices his doubt on using magic to save his father, Dragoon begins the spell he hopes will heal the king. Dragoon is forced to use magic to knock Arthur out before fleeing, hiding and taking the potion to return him to his normal form. Merlin returns to Uthur's chambers in time to hear Gaius tell Arthur the king is dead.**

Elyan smiles as Merlin pretty much uses Arthur as a horse. "Merlin's revenge."

Gwaine laughs. "Or he could have just done it for fun! I mean he wouldn't do that for fun?"

"That spell," Taliesin speaks up. "Is one of the most powerful healing spells known…. A lesser sorcerer would not have had the power or the skill to cast such a spell."

Arthur shakes his head, tears glitter, unshed in his eyes. "We should have all known Morgana would interfere…. We all knew how much she wanted him dead."

"We couldn't have known Morgana would have done something like that," Leon speaks up. "We had no idea that Agravaine was working for Morgana. We didn't believe we had a traitor in the court."

"If Agravaine dares to show his face in Camelot again..." Arthur threatens, darkly. "He'll pay for helping Morgana kill my father."

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**Merlin and Gaius return to the physicians' quarters. Merlin doesn't understand what went wrong, the spell had been working. Gaius shows Merlin the charm he found around Uthur's neck, explains what it purpose was and they both agree this was the work of Morgana. Elsewhere Agravaine has just arrived at Morgana's hovel and Morgana tells him Uthur is dead. When Agravaine asks how she knows, she tells him she felt it, she felt his pain and she seemed slightly upset. Agravaine tells her she should be celebrating and Morgana tells him, she will not celebrate until the throne is hers. Agravaine promises her, Arthur will fail.**

Gaius sighs. "Merlin believed he killed the king, because he wasn't strong enough to cast the spell completely…. I think it was a slight relief when he found out it wasn't his fault."

"Morgana is a coward," Tristan mutters. "If she wanted Uthur dead so badly she should killed him herself, not let someone else take the blame and nearly die as a result."

Isolde nodes. "Morgana seems to do that a lot…. She was going to let Gwen be killed by the Dorocha rather than kill her."

"She seemed upset," Gwen points out. "When Agravaine arrived to inform her of Uthur's death."

"She said she felt Uthur's death and the pain he felt," Elyan points out. "She could have been in pain still."

Gaius shakes his head. "No, I think she was upset about his passing…. It showed her what the consequences of choosing her path were and at some level she regretted her choice…. Uthur was like a father to her, was her father. Before her hate and fear corrupted her she loved him, like any daughter loves their father."

**Elsewhere Arthur is sitting in his room, Merlin enters and apologises for Arthur lose and wishes he could have done something. Arthur tells him it wasn't his fault a d he was the only one to blame, if he hadn't used magic to try and heal his father, his father wouldn't be dead. Merlin tells Arthur, it wasn't his fault, Uthur was dying and maybe nothing could have saved him. Arthur simply tells Merlin magic is pure evil, it killed both his parents and he would trust magic again. There is a knock on the door, Arthur gets to his feet and leaves the room. Merlin just watches him go.**

Arthur bows his head, slightly in shame. "I was so angry, that Merlin never trusted me enough to tell me he was a warlock and now I understand why…. Every time I have come close to accepting magic, something happens and it only hardens my heart against it."

"It must have been hard for him," Gwen nodes. "To have to live in a place where everyone would hates you, if they ever found out who you were."

"Possibly even kill you," Elyan adds. "If you couldn't escape."

"Merlin did everything in his power to save your father," Gaius mutters. "But fate just wasn't on his side."

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**Arthur walks to where Uthur has been laid on his death bed, in the throne room, ready to be taken his place in the burial chambers below the castle, the following day and kneels beside it. Merlin and Gaius shut the doors to the throne room after Arthur enters, before sitting down in the corridor outside. Merlin tells Gaius this was all this fault, he killed the king and now Arthur will never accept magic…. Arthur would never know who Merlin truly was. Gaius tries to explain to Merlin, he didn't kill the king, Morgana did. Gaius promises Merlin one day, Arthur will know who he is and magic will be free but that time is yet to come and Arthur is king, he'll need Merlin's protection more than ever before. **

"I'm glad Merlin never gave up," Arthur mutters. "He could have left Camelot right then, because at that time, I was never going to accept magic was anything but evil."

Gaius sighs. "Merlin has lost hope before…. But he would never leave Camelot defenceless."

"We wouldn't stand a chance against Morgana, without merlin." Leon agrees.

Gwen looks at Gaius sadly. "It's just a shame, he's been forced to sacrifice so many people he cares about, to keep us safe…."

"Great deeds are done through great sacrifices." Taliesin mutters.

**Merlin refuses to return with Gaius to their quarters and waits in the corridor all night as Arthur mourns the death of his father in the throne room. The following morning Arthur gets to his feet, kisses his fathers' forehead and leaves the throne room. Merlin is resting against the staircase leading to the royal wing of the castle, as the throne room doors are pulled open. Arthur tells Merlin it's a new day, when Merlin doesn't turn to look at him. Once Merlin does look at him and gets to his feet, he asks Merlin if he had been out there all night and Merlin answers he didn't want Arthur to feel like he was alone. The two of them quickly go off to get breakfast together. Sometime later, everyone gathers in the throne room as Arthur is crowned king of Camelot.**

Arthur smiled. "I'm glad Merlin stayed with me, even if I didn't know until the next morning."

"He is a true friend," Isolde speaks up. "You could almost be brothers."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "Merlin, I'm sure, will always stand beside you."

"I just hope," Arthur mutters. "That he can return to Camelot soon…. But I know it will be a while until the council agree to make magic legal once more."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.**

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**Only a handful of candles burn in a druids' cave, everyone is asleep. Suddenly a rope drops down from the opening in the cave above them and a man climes down. He sneaks past the sleeping druid and finds a locked box among their things, he opens it and pulls out a third of a key, which he quickly joins with the third he already has. As he turns to leave he finds all the druids have surrounded him. The man quickly flees, but when he comes to a sharp ridge, he attacks one of the druids and hold them a knife point. Iseldir warns the man the part of the key is not worth someone's life, but the man disagrees. He releases the druid, telling Iseldir he already knows where the third piece of the Triskelion is. And so he rides off, to find the third part of the key, he pulls his horse to a stop in front of Camelot castle and smiles to himself. **

Gaius shakes his head. "He was a foolish man to think he could steal from the druids, without the noticing."

"What is a 'Triskelion'?" Isolde asks.

"The Triskelion is the key to the tomb of Ashkanar," Gaius explains. "Ashkanar was a rich, cleaver and powerful man. He created the Triskelion in hopes that no one would ever be able to break into his tomb and steal the riches he left."

"The tomb was also rumoured to be home to the last dragon egg," Arthur adds. "And that egg was destroyed when the tomb collapsed."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "Merlin is the last dragon lord…. He wouldn't let the last dragon egg be destroyed would he?"

"It's not my place to say." Gaius smiled slightly.

**Later that night Gaius is up working, when there is a knock at his door, the knocking also wakes up Merlin who was asleep in his room. As Gaius and the man, who Gaius calls Borden, talk, Merlin gets up and listens to them talking through the door. Gaius asks why Borden has come here and Borden shows Gaius the Triskelion to Gaius, who studies it closely. Merlin is still listening as they talk about the dragons' egg, which is hidden in the tomb. Borden tells Gaius the last part of the Triskelion is in the vaults below the city, but Gaius wants no part of Borden's plan and tells him to leave. As soon as Borden has gone, Merlin comes down from his room and Gaius explains who Borden is and warns Merlin not to trust him. Merlin tells Gaius, he owes it to Kilgharrah to save the last dragon egg so he'll no longer be the last of his kind, but Gaius tells him the tomb is better left untouched and that the egg remains hidden.**

Arthur turns to Gaius. "You knew him?"

"I did," Gaius answers. "His name is Julius Borden…. And he should never be trusted."

Gwaine grins. "People should really start checking if Merlin is listening when they speak with you Gaius…. Merlin has heard so many interesting conversations."

"He was a pupil?" Gwen asks. "I didn't know you used to teach."

Gaius nodes. "Before the great purge, I used to teach the children the old ways."

Elyan glances at Gaius. "Did you really want the dragons' egg to stay lost?"

"I believed if the dragon egg was to fall into Borden's hands, it would do more damage than good." Gaius answers.

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**Later that night Merlin lies awake, thinking about the last dragon egg. He quickly gets changed, grabs his jacket and leaves the physicians quarters. He runs through the forest and stops at the clearing where he summons Kilgharrah. A couple of minutes after Merlin summons the dragon, Kilgharrah tells Merlin he didn't dare dream of news such as this…. He believed the dragon egg would never be found. Kilgharrah tells Merlin he must retrieve the egg, but Merlin is unsure, Gaius had forbidden him from doing it. Kilgharrah tells Merlin he is the last dragon lord, he must do this, after all his father had given up everything to save him. Kilgharrah makes Merlin promise in his fathers' name that he will do anything to rescue the egg. The following morning, Merlin makes his way to the tavern Borden is staying at and agrees to help get the final piece of the Triskelion.**

Gaius shakes his head. "That boy…."

"The egg wasn't destroyed was it?" Arthur asks. "Merlin saved it didn't he?"

Percival smiles slightly. "I think he did…. He is Merlin, after all."

"Plus," Leon points out. "He promised the great dragon he would do anything to try and save the egg."

"But the tomb could have collapsed before Merlin had a chance to enter it," Elyan mutters. "Borden was ahead of us."

"Merlin knew Borden never made it out," Gwaine points out. "How else would he have known, if he hadn't entered himself and seen Borden in there."

**Later that same morning Merlin sneaks into Arthur room, without waking him and begins to look through Arthur keys. But when Arthur wakes and sees Merlin, merlin quickly lies and tells the king he's looking for woodwork, Arthur just tells Merlin to get out. As Merlin leaves, he notices the key he needs on Arthur belt and quickly picks them up with the cloths that need washing, but before Merlin can leave Arthur takes the belt. Later Arthur is talking with the council, when Merlin uses magic to make Arthur trousers drop, he quickly rushes to help Arthur and steals the key.**

"Woodworm?" Gwaine laughs.

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Shut up, Gwaine."

"You tell Merlin he's couldn't lie to save his life yet you believed him, when he said he was looking for woodworm." Percival grins.

Arthur rolls his eyes. "It's not like I'm the only one who believes what Merlin said in the past."

Leon smiles. "None of us would have believed him, when he said he was looking for woodworm, when he was quite clearly looking through the keys."

"What? So you would have believed he was trying to steal a key?" Arthur asks. "It's Merlin!"

"None of us would have believed Merlin would break the law," Elyan agrees. "I think we all would have believed he was looking for woodworm over the fact he was trying to steal a key."

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**That night Merlin gives the key to Borden, shows him the lath to the vaults, but does not go with him. Borden knocks out the guards and enters the vaults where he finds the third and final piece to the Triskelion. The guards notice what happened and Borden makes his way back to Merlin, who helps him escape the guards. Borden knocks Merlin out and leaves the key with him, hoping to frame him for the crime. But not long before dawn Merlin regains consciousness and quickly takes Arthur's key back to his room. As Merlin finishes placing the key on the side, he turns and a knocks a goblet off the side, he dives after it and catches it with the help of magic. He lies about checking for woodworm after waking Arthur up, who voices his concern about Merlin metal wellbeing. Suddenly the warning bells go off and Arthur is forced to get out of bed.**

Arthur shakes his head. "If Merlin had been caught, he could have been executed for helping someone steal from the royal vaults."

"Well," Leon mutters. "That explains how Borden got into the vaults without having to break down the door."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "Why didn't Merlin just steal the Triskelion himself? He could have used magic."

"Merlin didn't know what the Triskelion looked like," Gaius answers. "And to use magic could have started a witch hunt, or worse."

"Do you think Borden could have been working for Morgana?" Isolde asks. "If she had a dragon at her command, there would be few people who could stop her."

Gaius shakes his head. "Borden wanted the egg so he could sell it…. A dragon could be used as a powerful weapon."

"We all know the damage the great dragon did to Camelot," Arthur mutters. "If an enemy ever gets hold of a dragon, we'd stand little chance."

Gwaine grins. "Good thing the last dragon lord is on our side then, isn't it?"

**Down in the vaults Agravaine explains the thief must have had a key. Arthur asks Gaius why they only took one item, when the vault was full of priceless treasures. Gaius informs Arthur they took one of the thirds of the Triskelion to the tomb of Ashkanar, which Arthur had heard from his father held a dragon's egg. Agravaine warns Arthur the egg could still hatch, so Arthur decides to hunt down the intruder and destroy the egg. When Gaius and Merlin return to the physicians' quarters, Gaius yells at Merlin. The egg could have remained in the tomb for four hundred years and still be alive, but now Arthur was going to rid out and destroy it.**

"Beasts?" Isolde asks. "Dragons are not beasts, they are noble creatures and are more knowledgeable than we could ever hope to be."

Arthur sighs. "At the time all I had seen a dragon do was try and destroy Camelot-"

"Kilgharrah had every right to want revenge on your father," Tristan speaks up. "Wouldn't you want to destroy someone who held you prisoner in a cave for close to twenty years? Slaughtered all your kin and kept you as some sort of trophy, he could gloat about."

Arthur glares at Tristan. "That gave the dragon no right to kill innocent people…. Some of whom may not have even known the great dragon was trapped below the city."

"And Kilgharrah is sorry for the deaths he caused," Taliesin speaks up. "He regrets what he did, but the past cannot be changed."

Tristan snorts. "That's better than you father…. He doesn't feel the slightest bit guilty for the deaths he caused! Or the families he ripped apart!"

Arthur wanted to yell Uthur was a good king and that magic was evil, but he knew Tristan was right... Magic wasn't good or evil and Uthur was nothing more than a hypocrite and a liar.

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**Later that day Merlin is running late as Arthur and the knights wait to ride out after Borden. They follow Borden's tracks and Merlin spots smoke in the distance, where Borden had made camp. Upon finding the camp Arthur works out Borden can't be more than a few hours ahead. When it gets too dark to follow the tracks they make camp for the night, where Arthur and the knights trick Merlin into thinking they've eaten all the food, before revealing they had saved him a bowl. But before they reveal they have a bowl, Merlin is sent to check on the horses, where he senses someone or something watching him. **

"What do you think Borden would have done, if we caught up with him?" Elyan asks.

"There wouldn't have been much he could do," Leon mutters. "He didn't attack us with magic, so the chances he had magic is slim."

"He could have told us Merlin helped him." Percival points out.

Gwaine shakes his head. "I don't think we would have believed him."

Gwen turns to Arthur. "You shouldn't have teased him with the food…. I've known Merlin to go days without food before because he been too busy working for you! He is supposed to be your friend!"

"It was a joke." Arthur defends himself.

"Well it wasn't a very funny one!" Gwen snaps.

"Merlin senses someone watching him," Isolde speaks up. "But who was it?"

Gaius shakes his head. "I'm not sure…. It's possible it was a druid, I have no doubt they aided Merlin on this quest…. It's also possible it was Borden, but I would have thought he was much further ahead at that point."

"Or it could have just been an animal." Tristan points out.

**Later that night when everyone is asleep, Merlin is woken up by the druids calling to him. Lucky he is furthest from the fire at the centre of the camp is able to leave without waking anyone up. He follows the druids' voices into the forest, until he finds a small gathering of druids. They tell him Borden went east, they also warn him that the Triskelion is not just a key, it's also a trap and when they way ahead seems impossible that is when you have found it. The following morning, Merlin, Arthur and the knights find Borden's camp and no horse tracks. Merlin walks off and Arthur asks him where's going, Merlin answers Borden is heading east, which Elyan conforms as correct.**

"Why were none of you on watch?" Tristan asks.

"We didn't feel the need for someone to be on watch," Leon answers. "Bandits hardly ever use that part of the forest and Borden was ahead of us."

Isolde turns to Arthur. "You said you believe in equity, yet Merlin sleeps furthest from the fire."

"That was the way Merlin set up camp." Arthur answers.

"And none of you thought to disagree?" Gwen asks. "If I had been with you, you would have insisted I sleep closes to the fire…. I like Merlin was a servant in the royal household."

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**They follow Borden's tracks to a cave, where Arthur decides it's a dead end, but Merlin doesn't think so and asks about the cave. They walk through the cave until they come to a waterfall, passing through, they continue on their way and soon the tomb comes into view. But as they approach the tomb, they walk through a narrow pass, Borden shots Percival in the leg with a cross bow. As Arthur goes to catch Borden, Merlin sends the cross bow crashing from his hands, with magic. **

"That cave," Gwen mutters. "That was Balinor's cave, isn't it? That's where Merlin's father lived!"

"Do you think Balinor knew about the tomb?" Elyan asks.

Gaius thinks for a moment. "It is quite possible…. It would make sense if he did, as a dragon lord, he could have been guarding the entrance to the tomb and have a place to hide if Uthur ever found him."

"I should have remembered it was Balinor's cave," Arthur mutters. "If I had known I wouldn't have thought it was a dead end."

Gwaine glances at Gaius. "Do you think Merlin recognised the cave?"

"I think he did," Gaius answers. "But there was little he could say…. Arthur didn't notice and for him to speak up about it could have caused suspicion."

Tristan glances at Percival. "Did the arrow do much damage?"

Percival shakes his head. "Merlin treated it before we continued after Borden, he told me I was lucky it didn't do any serious damage."

"Merlin is right," Gaius speaks up. "I have known many to die from wounds like that…. Bleeds in that area can be hard to stop."

**They continue as far as they can, but are forced to make camp for the night, but as Merlin cooks, Borden uses a sling shot to drop poison in the pot and Merlin fails to notice. Merlin is sent off to collect fire wood before he can eat any of the stew, when he returns to the camp he finds everyone unconscious and when he checks the pot he finds the poison. After healing everyone, Merlin continues after Borden alone. He catches up with Borden just as he unlocks the door to the tomb. Merlin tries to warn Borden it's a trap, but it's too late and Borden gets gassed. Merlin uses magic to move the gas out his path and he enters the tomb, but not until after he has stolen Borden's torch.**

"Thank god Merlin healed you!" Gwen mutters. "If he had returned much later, you could all have died!"

"How didn't Merlin notice?" Elyan asks. "It was quite a big splash."

"Merlin did have his back turned," Percival points out. "And he was sorting through one of the bags."

"Plus," Leon adds. "We all though Borden was ahead of us, we thought he had fled after he failed to kill us, when he ambushed us…. We had no reason to think he'd come back and try again."

"Good thing Merlin didn't get any food then." Gwaine mutters.

Gwen glares at Arthur and the knights. "You really have to stop doing that to Merlin…. He misses out on enough food as it is."

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**Merlin walks through the tomb until he finds the dragons egg, he about to take it from its stand when Borden appears behind him. Merlin tells Borden the dragon must go free, when he demands that Merlin give him the egg. Borden grabs the torch and threaten Merlin to give him the egg, as Merlin is forced to the ground, Merlin warns him he is the last dragon lord so leave the egg alone. Borden goes to attack Merlin and Merlin throws him back with magic, with Borden unconscious Merlin takes the egg. But as soon as the egg is removed the tomb begins to collapse and Merlin runs, only just making out of the tomb in time. He hides the egg in his bag seconds before Arthur and the knights appear, they all watch as the tomb collapses completely and Leon tells Arthur nothing would survive that.**

"The egg is beautiful!" Gwen gasps.

"It is." Isolde nodes.

Gwaine glares at Borden. "If he dare harms Merlin…."

"Wow," Elyan mutters. "Merlin can be scary when he wants to be."

Percival nodes. "He was lying on the floor and he still seemed threatening."

"Borden didn't stand a chance of getting out." Leon mutters.

Taliesin suddenly speaks up. "Dragon eggs are strong. Even under all that rubble the egg could still survive."

**Sometime later in Camelot, Merlin and Gaius have just finished eating. Gaius tells Merlin it was such a shame he wasn't able to save the egg and Merlin agrees without looking Gaius in the eyes. Gaius glares at Merlin for a moment, before Merlin smiles. Merlin quickly goes and finds the egg and hands it to Gaius, who looks at in awe and tells Merlin it was nearly lost because of him. As Gaius hands the egg back to Merlin, Merlin tells him he's going to make sure they egg goes back to where it belongs. Once night falls, Merlin goes to where he and Kilgharrah meet and places the egg down on a tree stump. Once Kilgharrah arrives, he tells Merlin dragons were called into the world by dragon lord and Merlin being the last, meant that duty fell to him. So Merlin names it Aithusa. The egg cracks and a small white dragon head can be seen through the gap, Merlin just steps forward in awe and wonder. Kilgharrah tells him, what Aithusa name meant in dragon tongue and how a white dragon bodes well for all of Albion. **

Gaius smiled slightly. "It was a true honour to see and hold a dragon egg. Even before the great purge, dragon eggs where seldom seen by those over than dragon lords."

"And it is rarer still to see a dragon hatch." Taliesin adds.

"Does Merlin even use magic to get out of the city, anymore?" Leon asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin worked for Arthur and had lived in tone city for years, he knows the rotations the guards follow."

"It is easy to slip past the guards when you know where they are at all times and which routs they patrol." Gwaine grins. "I have been trapped in quite a few places before, knowing the rotations of the guards really does help when you need to escape."

Gwen smiles. "The dragon is gorgeous…. I've never seen something quite that beautiful before."

Taliesin smiles. "A white dragon does indeed bode well for Albion."

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Hey, in case anyone is wondering, Voodoo magic has only been known as a form of dark magic in recent times. Voodoo and Hoodoo are actually West African religions and have their own forms of white and black magic, it is due to western media that people believe Voodoo is a form of black magic. Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter, the next chapter should be up by Thursday.

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.


	47. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-six: Dragon lord or dragon rider?

**Note:**

"_Spoken in dragon tongue."_

"Spoken in human tongue."

'_Telepathic conversation in dragon tongue.'_

'Telepathic conversation in human tongue.'

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Merlin stumbled backwards, as he stared at Zafira with a mixture of awe and shock. When he had touched her forehead, their minds had connected. He saw her whole life, he saw and felt everything she had seen and felt. And the same was with Zafira, she had seen all of Merlin's memories and felt everything he had. Merlin stared down at his left palm where a ghostly blue scar, in the shape of a druid dragon rune, had formed.

"Wha-what…. What was that?" Merlin finally gasps, still trying to clear the images he had seen from his mind.

"A bound," Kilgharrah answers. "Between dragon and dragon rider."

"Hang on a moment," Merlin mutters. "I'm a dragon _lord_, not a dragon _rider_…. As a matter of fact I've never even heard of dragon riders before!"

Kilgharrah laughs, his deep booming laugh. "Young warlock, dragon riders _are_ dragon lords."

"What?" Comes Merlin's replies.

"There is still much you need to learn, young warlock," Kilgharrah answers, with what could have been a sigh. "In times long past, there was a war between two blood lines…. Both blood lines where dragon lords."

Merlin shrugs. "What does that have to do with dragon lords and dragon riders?"

"Everything, young warlock," Kilgharrah answers. "Imagine you are fighting a dragon lord of a different blood line. What do you think would happen if you commanded a dragon to attack him?"

"He would command the dragon away or order it to stop attacking." Merlin answers.

Kilgharrah nodes. "The war between the blood lines only stopped when both bloodlines died, the battle ranged for nearly a thousand years…. After the battle was over the dragon elders decided something had to be done, so they forged a bound between dragons and their dragon lords."

"And this bound does what?" Merlin asks. "And why has one been created between me and Zafira?"

"_I think you'll find, hatchling," _Zafira's suddenly speaks. _"It's 'Zafira and I'."_

"_Great," _Merlin mutters. _"Now I'm getting English lessons off a dragon!... Hang on a second, did you just call me 'hatchling'?"_

"_I did indeed." _Zafira answers.

Kilgharrah coughs slightly to get Merlin's attention before he and Zafira can start arguing. "As I was saying, young warlock, a bound was formed between dragons and dragon lords…. This bound meant that the dragon and dragon lord would become dragon and dragon rider, they would become linked."

"Linked how?" Merlin asks.

"The dragon who is linked with a dragon rider, will only obey the command of their rider…. Even if a dragon lord was to command them, they would not be forced to obey, unless the dragon lord was also their rider."

"And how does that stop bloodlines fighting?" Merlin asks. "It just means they could use their dragons as a weapon, knowing the other dragon lords would not be able to command their dragon to stop!"

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For the next couple of hours, Merlin sat on the ledge high in the White Mountains. Kilgharrah, with the aid of Aithusa and Zafira, was crafting a saddle. Merlin still couldn't work out how Kilgharrah was able to make a saddle for a dragon, but he guessed it had something to do with magic. A first Merlin had refused to let Kilgharrah make a saddle for Zafira, but Kilgharrah had told him he would have to learn to fly on a dragon sooner or later. And apparently ridding Kilgharrah didn't count.

Merlin turned as there was a noise on the cave behind him. Zafira was first to exit the cave, a new saddle on her back. Merlin had to admit the craftsmanship was brilliant, he'd never seen a saddle quite like it and Zafira certainly looked pleased with it. Zafira seemed to be radiating pride, as she approached Merlin.

"Now remember," Kilgharrah tells Merlin. "Grip with your knees, guide her with your thoughts and stay as flat as you can on her back."

"How do you know?" Merlin asks. "You've never ridden a dragon."

Kilgharrah laughs. "Young warlock, I have taught more dragon lord how to fly, than you've had hot meals."

"Is that supposed to reassure me?" Merlin asks, glancing over the ledge he and Zafira would soon be taking off from…. It was a long way down in fact Merlin could just see the tree tops, that appeared out the mist like small hills.

"Nothing will go wrong, as long as you don't panic," Kilgharrah warns him. "Trust your instincts, young warlock, this talent flows through your blood, like it flowed through your fathers' and all your forefathers'."

Merlin takes a deep breath and pulls himself into the saddle on Zafira's back. Zafira shifted impatiently as Merlin gets comfortable.

"_Are you ready?" _Zafira asks.

"_No," _Merlin answers. _"But let's do this!"_

Merlin laid flat against Zafira back as she crouches and pushes off the ledge, Zafira folds her wings in close to her body, as they enter free fall. As they draw closer and closer to the ground, Merlin grips the saddle in fear, but at the last minute Zafira spreads her wings and pulls up. They glide over the tree tops and Merlin can feel his heart beating against his rib cage.

'_That,'_ Merlin grins. _'Was…. I don't know how to explain it!'_

Zafira laughs. _'Then let me show you what flying is really like.'_

'_How?' _Merlin asks.

'_Just hold on and don't be afraid.' _Zafira answers.

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Zafira lands in the court yard outside the tower, much to the surprise of all the people who witnessed her landing.

Merlin jumped down from the saddle. _"That was incredible!"_

"_I am glad you took such pleasure in flying, hatchling."_ Zafira answers.

"_Why do you keep calling me that?"_ Merlin demands. "_You're four years older than me at least!"_

"_In knowledge and wisdom you are still young," _Zafira answers. _"You have the knowledge of a hatchling."_

"_Thanks for that complement to my intelligence."_

"_You are welcome, hatchling." _Zafira answers. _"Most creatures of magic do not even have the intelligence of a -!"_

"_I was being sarcastic!" _Merlin replies, cutting Zafira off.

Zafira glances at Merlin for a moment. _"What is 'sarcastic'?"_

"_I don't have time to explain," Merlin mutters. "It's basically where you say something, but mean the opposite."_

"_Humans are stupid."_

"_We're not all stupid, you know!"_ Merlin mutters. _"Just don't let people, manly Arthur, hear you say that, they take it awfully personally... I don't think many people would like to be compared to a hatchling or be called stupid. I for one don't."_

"_But you are a creature lf magic, not a human…. For a creature of magic to be told they have the intelligence of a hatchling is an honour."_

"_What about people?" _Merlin asks. _"Could they have the intelligence of a hatchling?"_

Zafira turns her head to the side slightly. _"No human could ever be as intelligent as a dragon, or that of a hatchling... Hatchlings are born with knowledge beyond any knowledge a human would be capable of learning in ten lifetimes."_

"_For such an intelligent creature, you know little to nothing about people." _Merlin mutters, shaking his head. _"You better get out of here, Zafira, quite a crowd is gathering."_

Zafira nodes. _"Good day, hatchling…. Simply call if you need my aid."_

"_I will." _Merlin answers, with a roll of his eyes. As long as Arthur never found out his new nickname was hatchling, he'd be fine.

Merlin stepped back as Zafira took to the air in one powerful leap. Merlin watched as she vanished into the clouds far above in a matter of moments, she hadn't seemed to be going that fast when he'd been riding her, but she must have been.

"Merlin!" a voice calls behind him.

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"What!?" Merlin exclaimed.

Bercilak glances at Merlin, who had stopped walking. "The head councilman ordered that messages be sent to every kingdom, apart form Amata and Camelot, to offer peace…. In hope it would stop King Sarrum from attacking us."

"Then they're as stupid as Zafira believes people to be," Merlin shakes his head. "Do they know anything about ruling a kingdom?"

Bercilak raises an eyebrow. Merlin used to be Arthur Pendragon's servant, but that didn't mean he knew how to run a kingdom. "Do you now anything about ruling a kingdom?"

"A lot more than the council it would appear." Merlin answers, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath.

"So what do you plan on doing?" Bercilak asks. "The messaged were sent out this morning it's quite possible you'll be able to catch up with them."

Merlin shakes his head. "To use magic to teleport over such a great distance in such a short time…. I not even sure if I'm capable of doing that many teleportation spells... I'd be using more teleportation spells, in a matter of hour, than I have ever cast before."

"What of the dragons?" Bercilak asks.

"If I flew a dragon into a kingdom, a dragon everyone thinks died at Arthur's hand, could be seen as an act of war…. Plus if the kingdoms don't know Kilgharrah rumoured dead, they'll know about Kilgharrah attacking Camelot."

"How many kingdoms believe Arthur killed the dragon?" Bercilak asked, he for one knew a person of no magic skills or weapons could slay a dragon…. Even normal magic couldn't kill a dragon!

"All those who have an alliance with Camelot," Merlin answered. "All the five kingdoms believe the great dragon to be dead…. Stories would have travelled throughout most of the kingdoms, Prince Arthur killing a dragon is story I'm sure many would tell an even more would listen too."

Bercilak nodes. "What about…?"

"Zafira?" Merlin guessed.

Bercilak nodes. "Could you not fly her?"

Merlin shakes his head. "As fast as dragons can fly, we would only be able to stop half the messenger…. Plus if news spread that a second dragon had been sighted, King Sarrum would hear about it and that is the last thing we need."

"Isn't Aithusa the second dragon?"

"Aithusa is the third dragon, he was hatched not long after Uthur died," Merlin explained. "Zafira was the last dragon to be hatched before the great purge started…. Plus no one has seen Aithusa outside of this kingdom, most people would mistake him for a bird or a baby wyvern, if they had seen him."

Bercilak sighs. "So the council trying to stop a war, could have caused one?"

"When you rule a kingdom," Merlin explains. "You cannot show your kingdom to be weak. The council have made our kingdom appear weak."

"How have they made us appear weak?" Bercilak asks.

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Merlin stood in the council hall, the council had gathered, along with members of the war council who weren't members of the normal council and Merlin couldn't help but feel disappointed. Of all the members of the council here, none of them had even realised the mistake they had made sending messengers to all the kingdoms.

'How is your wife, Merlin Emrys?' a voice in his head asks.

Merlin glanced round to see Iseldir at the other end of the hall. 'She is well.'

'Why isn't she attending the council with you?'

'She is with my mother and Alice,' Merlin answers. 'We thought it better she spends time with them, than to attend the council before it is known by all that she is my wife.'

Iseldir nodes slightly. 'We have planned for a druid hand fasting ceremony to take place the morning after tomorrow.'

Merlin frowns. 'I thought the ceremony would be held after the war is over.'

'It is better if the ceremony is held before,' Iseldir answers. 'Many will not be returning from the upcoming battles.'

Merlin shuddered remembering how many would not return from this upcoming battle. 'I'm sure Freya will not mind…. In Avalon she was slightly disappointed we didn't have a druid styled hand fasting or wedding ceremony.'

Iseldir thinks for a moment. 'Her mother was a druid, it's no surprise she is educated in the ways of the druids.'

Merlin raises an eyebrow. 'How did you know her mother was a druid?'

'When she was cursed, I visited the camp she was staying with, to aid them in finding a way of breaking the curse.' Iseldir answers. 'I was told by the camps' elder, that her mother had once been a part of their camp…. Before she married a fisherman from a nearby village.'

'How do you remember her?' Merlin asks. 'You must have helped hundreds of people since you meet her.'

Iseldir smiled slightly. 'Like you, Merlin Emrys, she is destined for great things. The lady of the lake is a part of your prophecy and destiny…. The two of you will do great things and they will be remembered until the end of time.'

Merlin sighs. 'How much of my life is my own? It seems the prophecy has my whole life planned out for me and I have no say in the matter.'

'The prophecy was simple one of many paths you could have taken,' Iseldir answers. 'You could have chosen to leave Camelot all those years ago and never helped Arthur…. You could have let him die. You saved Uthur's life more than once and that had nothing to do with the prophecy…. The choices you have made just happen to be that of what the prophecy states.'

'But Kilgharrah said no one can escape their destiny, even if they wished too,' Merlin answers. 'Was he lying?'

Iseldir shakes his head. 'He was not, but everyone has more than one destiny, they simply choice which one they want to achieve…. Kilgharrah simply guided you down the path he felt would have the least bloodshed and suffering.'

'If he hadn't…. I could have been like Morgana.' Merlin mutters. 'I would have had no hope of Arthur uniting the lands and magic one day being freed…. I could have let my fear and hate corrupt me, believing all hope was lost.'

'There was more than one way to return magic to this land,' Iseldir answers. 'The path you chose, with Kilgharrah guidance, I feel was the best…. Many have died, but many more could have died if you had taken a different path.'

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All Merlin could do was simply stare at the head councilman for a moment. Merlin just couldn't believe how he failed to understand what he had ordered could start a war.

"Merlin Emrys my decision was made for the good of this kingdom."

Merlin shakes his head. "You may believe what you did will benefit this kingdom…. But it will not."

Other members of the council mutter among themselves, as the head council man watches Merlin. "How will not be for the good of this kingdom?"

"Because what you have done," Merlin answered. "Is make us look weak."

"We are not weak." The head councilman answers.

"We are not," Merlin agrees. "But you have made us appear so."

"And how have I done that?"

Merlin sighs, maybe it was because not many had worked in a royal court before and had only followed the laws of the old religion, but Merlin really couldn't understand why none of them had seen the mistake in what they had done. Taking a deep breath, Merlin answered.

"You have sent an offer of peace and alliance to every kingdom in Albion, bar Amata and Camelot…. We are a kingdom that has only been created little more than a week. This alone makes us appear weak, a kingdom formed from scratch is going to be weak." Merlin explains. "We know King Sarrum is going to declare war on us, everyone who knows of King Sarrum's hatred of magic is going to know he'll declare war on us."

"King Sarrum declaring was on us, does not make us appear weak," The head councilman answers. "If anything, it means we are a threat and King Sarrum wants to get rid of us."

Merlin shakes his head. "We have asked _every_ kingdom other than Amata and Camelot for an alliance! To king Sarrum this will make us appear weak!"

"Asking other kingdoms for alliance is not a sign of weakness." The head councilman answers. "An alliance is simply formed to stop wars between the two kingdoms."

Merlin nodes. "That is true, but a kingdom will usually ask for alliance if they are to poor or weak to survive a war with that kingdom…. Of course it turn this makes both kingdoms richer, with trade and such."

The head councilman thinks for a moment. "That is the whole reason we asked for alliance with other kingdoms, we cannot afford to fight two wars at once if we wish to beat Mordred."

"And to king Sarrum it will appear we are too weak to win and war against him so we are trying to form as many allies as possible." Merlin explains. "If King Arthur agrees to King Sarrum's treaty we will be at war with him as well…. All we can do is hope King Arthur refuses the treaty with King Sarrum."

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Merlin made it half way up the tower, towards Alice and his mother's room, when Daegal crashes into him as he runs down the stairs and almost knocks him over.

"MERLIN!" Daegal exclaimed. "I've been looking for you!"

"Make this quick," Merlin pleads. "I've just spent the last two hours talking about war plans with the council, after having to explain why King Sarrum might declare war…. All I want now is nice hot bath and some sleep!"

Daegal shifts slightly. "Well…. Umm…. That might have to wait."

"Why?" Merlin sighs, would he ever get a moments peace around here, it was almost as bad as working as Arthur servant!

"Well early, me, Kara, Sefa and Bercilak were on patrol and we were attacked by some Orcs." Daegal explains. "We believe they were acting under Jared orders."

"So you want me to go and look?" Merlin questions.

Daegal shakes his head. "We want you to join us…. We're going back out there to see if we can find any glues to if it was Jared's attack."

Merlin sighs. "When are you leaving?"

"Now." Daegal answers.

"Will I ever get a moments peace?" Merlin mutters.

Daegal smiles. "We won't be gone that long, we're only going as far as the border."

"You do know this could be a trap?" Merlin asks. "This could have been planned, we could be walking straight into a trap."

"Why do you think it could be a trap?" Daegal asks.

"Because as stupid as Jared appears," Merlin replies. "Even I know if he wanted you dead, you'd be dead, Jared has strong magic…. He almost killed Finna. And for all we know this might not be him at all."

"Who else would be able to command Orcs?" Daegal asks.

"Anyone who works for Mordred or has powerful magic," Merlin answers. "Orcs are created by magic. If I knew the right spell I'd be able to create them."

Daegal thinks for a moment. "If they were created by magic, won't we have to use enchanted weapons to kill them?"

"Our weapons are still enchanted from when we hunted the change-wings, so that won't be a problem... I just have a horrible feeling were going to be walking straight into a trap."

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"So," Eira asks. "What are we up against?"

Bercilak glances at her. "I'm not sure, when we were on patrol it was just some Orcs, but there could be more than that."

"Well I must say," Tyr speaks up. "I agree with Merlin…. This sounds like a trap."

"How does a few Orcs sound like a trap?" Gilli asks. "For all we know it could have been a patrol sent by Mordred to try on spy one us."

Sefa shakes her head. "What would a patrol be doing on this side of the tower? Camlann is on the opposite side of the tower to us."

"They could have been sent to spy on the other kingdoms." Kara speaks up.

"Why though?" Daegal asks.

"So Mordred knows what type of power he will need to raise them to the ground." Merlin answers.

Freya nodes in agreement. "If Mordred wins this war, he'll destroy everything…. He'll want to know how easy or hard it will be to destroy those who have little to no magic."

Merlin glances at her and smiles slightly. After Daegal had told him, he was needed on patrol, Merlin had gone to tell Freya where he was going and that he may not be back until late. The moment Freya knew there was a chance he'd get hurt and could be walking straight into a trap, she had refused to let him go on his own…. Merlin had explained he wouldn't be alone, but Freya still demanded she come with him and Merlin knowing he couldn't won the argument agreed.

"How do you know so much about this war?" Gilli asks.

Freya smiled slightly. "Merlin explained what's happening."

Gilli glances at Merlin. "And there I was thinking you were having a good time in Avalon, when you were in fact talking about war and matters of state."

"We did have a good time Gilli," Merlin rolls his eyes. "But Freya would have been returning to kingdom that was at war, she needed to know about it."

Eira glances at Gilli. "Anyone would think you didn't know a thing about war, Gilli."

"I don't." Gilli answers. "I've only ever thought in single combat, remember?"

Sefa sighs. "There are a lot of us here who have never been to war before, or fought in a battle before…. We're not soldiers."

"No," Tyr agrees. "But we are people fighting for our survival."

"Our freedom." Bercilak adds.

"Our lives." Kara agrees.

"As where Mordred is only fighting for power," Daegal mutters. "He if driven by hatred."

Merlin nodes. "We're fighting to protect everything we care about."

"And that's what makes us stronger." Freya agrees.

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"This is where we were attacked," Sefa mutters, glancing around the small clearing. "They came out the trees over there."

Merlin and Gilli both check the ground, but the tracks were a mess, you just couldn't make anything out…. Not even which direction the Orcs had come from.

Merlin glances around. "The tracks are too muddled to make anything out, but I think it's fair to say the only things that passed this way were Orcs."

"There would have to have been more than six or seven Orcs," Gilli adds. "This ground is so trampled…. It's like they have been running backwards from one side of the clearing to the other."

"So which way should we go?" Kara asks.

"I don't know," Merlin answers getting to his feet and taking Freya's hand. "Tyr could you possible ask the animals if they have seen anything?"

Tyr nodes and falls silent for a moment. "It's strange, I can't contact any animals or sense any nearby."

"And I think I know why." Bercilak answers.

"Why?" Daegal asks.

"Look at this," Bercilak points to the ground, where a rune is carved into the soil.

Merlin glances round and mutters. "Is it just me or does it feel like we're being watched?"

"What is that?" Eira asks, making her way over to Bercilak completely ignoring Merlin. "I've never seen a rune like it."

Freya grips Merlin's hand. "I have…. It's a rune druids use to protect sacred sites, like burial grounds or shrines. It scares off animals and stops them disturbing the area."

"So what's it doing here?" Tyr asks.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a voice asks behind them mocks.

Spinning round they find Jared and a large band of Orcs standing behind them, everyone quickly draws their weapons, apart from Merlin and Freya who raise their hands, ready to use magic.

"Well," Merlin mutters. "That answers my question, we were being watched."

"Arrr, if it isn't the druid boy," Jared growls. "You and your friends here, have caused me far too much trouble."

"What do you want, Jared?" Merlin asks.

"Well for a start I want to know where I can find Merlin Emrys," Jared spat. "I've been ordered by Mordred to kill him."

Gilli couldn't help but grin. "What makes you think we'll tell you where Merlin is?"

"We're all far too loyal." Eira adds, glancing at Merlin, who couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Jared glares at them for a moment. "Kill them!" He orders the Orcs.

The Orcs move forward, but before they even get close they are engulfed in white hot flames.

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Gilli was the first to recover from the shook of seeing a third dragon.

"Wow," he mutters, glancing at Merlin. "That is one powerful looking dragon."

"_I like him."_ Zafira speaks.

Merlin rolled his eyes. _"Of corset you do; everyone enjoys flattery."_

"What?" Gilli asks. "Did you just speak dragon?"

Merlin rolls his eyes slightly. "What else would I have been speaking to a dragon?"

"What's its name?" Daegal asks.

Zafira growls at him. _"I am not an 'it', I am a dragon."_

Daegal takes a step back and watches Zafira as if she might attack him any moment, which was quite possible, being called an 'it' was quite insulting.

Merlin smiles. "Her name of Zafira."

"That's a beautiful name," Freya smiles. "What does it mean?"

Zafira bows her head. "_Lady Freya, my name means the light of five stars in dragon tongue or victory in the human tongue."_

Freya glances at Merlin. "What did she say?"

"Her name means the light of five stars in dragon tongue or victory in human tongue."

Eira glances at Merlin. "Where did she come from? I was led to believe Kilgharrah and Aithusa were the last of the dragons."

"She escaped the great purge," Merlin answers. "And fled to the lands beyond the seas…. She was believed dead by Kilgharrah, hence why people believe only he and Aithusa are the last of the dragons."

Bercilak speaks up suddenly. "Do you think we should try and track Jared down?"

"No," Kara shakes her head. "He could lead us into another trap."

"But he could go back to Mordred." Sefa points out.

"Then we don't have to worry about him," Merlin mutters. "Mordred hates humans…. He only letting people like Jared help him, while they are useful. Jared is no longer any use to Mordred, he been found out."

"Mordred will kill him," Gilli mutters. "If he returns to him."

Bercilak thinks for a moment. "He could gather a group of Orcs, like he did here…. Tracking him down might stop him doing that, plus the council want to, be put before the court."

"But not today." Merlin mutters.

"It's getting late," Freya adds. "This part of the forest will be dark soon and who knows what other plans Jared has."

Zafira glances at Merlin. _"I can track Jared down if you wish, his magic will be unable to harm me."_

"_Find him if you want," _Merlin answers. _"But do not let him see you. If you can keep us informed of his movements it will be a great help…. As for his magic, I have no idea what it's capable of, he, like Mordred, has stolen the power of other sorcerers…. He could have stolen the power of a dragon lord, how ever unlikely that may be, just be careful." _

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**Next up is his father's son and a servant of two masters, which should be up by Monday. I hope you liked that chapter and sorry it's up a day late. In answer to your questions Quill, I am a huge fan of the inheritance cycle and I put voodoo down as dark/black magic because I couldn't remember any other forms of dark magic :/**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	48. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-seven: His father's son and a servant of two masters.

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.**

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**Merlin runs, chased by a large group of men. He leads them into a dead end and trips, a throwing axe only just misses him and he quickly pulls out the ground and gets to his feet. He goes as far as he can glances round, before turning to face the men and raising the throwing axe. As they inform him he's trapped, one of the men is shot and Arthur and the knights appear. The men are quickly caught or killed. As they prepare to leave for Camelot, Agravaine appear with the man who was leading the chase on Merlin…. He bears the royal seal of Caerleon and in fact their king. That night Arthur and Agravaine talk and the king of Caerleon is being held prisoner. Agravaine informs Arthur it is no coincidence that these attacks have started after Uthur death…. Enemies of Camelot believe Arthur to be weak. Agravaine tells he must force the king of Caerleon to sign a treaty or he is to be killed, but Arthur refused to kill someone in cold blood and all the while Merlin listens to the conversation knowing what Agravaine is trying to do.**

Gwen glares at Arthur. "Why did you use Merlin as bait, when you knew event your best knights wouldn't have stood a chance against them alone?"

"Agravaine said we couldn't risk a knight getting injured," Arthur answers, looking anywhere but at Gwen. "Merlin was the only servant we had with us."

"What so you would risk the life of your best friend, just because Agravaine told you to?" Gwen demands.

Arthur doesn't answers, Merlin had told him time and time again not to trust Agravaine and he had never listened…. Agravaine and Morgana had bought Camelot to its knees.

"To be fair," Gwaine speaks up. "Merlin was the fasted runner…. And he could have defeated them all with a snap of his figures."

"In case you've forgotten, Gwaine," Leon mutters. "Magic is illegal. If Merlin had used magic, he would have been killed."

"Or worse," Percival adds. "Morgana could have found out about his magic."

**The following morning Merlin wakes to find Arthur gone. He quickly gets up and finds Arthur, sitting alone, thinking not far from the camp. Merlin hands Arthur a cup and sits down, he asks Arthur if he's been up all night and Arthur answers he's been thinking. When Merlin tells Arthur king Caerleon will never sign the treaty and Arthur reminds Merlin, Caerleon bought this upon himself. Merlin just turns to look at Arthur, he had never sought to humiliate his enemies in this way and has always shown mercy in battle, so why not do that now? Arthur just tells Merlin he has no idea what it's like to make decisions that affect the whole kingdom. Later that day, like Merlin said, Caerleon refuses to sign the peace treaty and Arthur is forced to kill him, Agravaine just smirks and Merlin looks away shaking his head.**

"Careful, Arthur," Gwaine grins. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself by thinking too hard now, would we?"

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Least I know how to use my brain!"

"Just not very well it seems." Gwaine mocks.

"Merlin's right," Leon speaks up. "You have always shown mercy in battle and you have never sought to humiliate your enemies."

Elyan nodes. "You have always shown yourself to be fair and just."

"Could you honestly not see that by killing the king of Caerleon, you would start a war?" Tristan asks.

"I trusted by uncles judgment," Arthur answers. "I never believed he'd betray me."

"Merlin knows better than most, what it feels like to make decisions that affect the future of the whole kingdom," Isolde mutters. "He had to make choices that most kings would struggle to make and with little guidance and support."

"I know." Arthur answers.

Gaius shakes his head in disappointment. "Everyone makes mistakes, but you must trust your own judgement. Listen to the council of others, but always do what you believe to be right and fair…. You are the king, people turn to you and you alone."

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**Back in Camelot, Gaius watches Merlin, Arthur, Agravaine and the knights arrive. Arthur and Agravaine walk through the castle and Agravaine tells Arthur he made the right choice. Arthur enters his chamber and is greeted by Gwen, Agravaine watches until Merlin walks past him and he quickly walks away. Later that night Merlin speaks with Arthur as he works, he asks Arthur if he regrets killing Caerleon, Arthur answers he had to show he was strong and Merlin asks if compassion isn't also a show of strength. Merlin tries to get Arthur to speak more, but Arthur tells him he doesn't need friends, he must rule this kingdom alone. Elsewhere the body of king Caerleon has been bought before Queen Annis, who sees her husband has died, but not from a battle wound and she swears all of Camelot will pay for killing her husband. Back in Camelot Arthur is sitting alone in the council chamber, when Agravaine knocks and enters and he wishes to speak to Arthur. Agravaine tells Arthur that the people do not wish to see him marry the daughter of a blacksmith, that he most marry for the good of the kingdom and do what is expected of him**

Gwaine snorts. "Yeah, the right choice for starting a war."

"Do you think Agravaine knew that Merlin knew he was a tratior?" Leon asks. "Agravaine just seemed to glare at Merlin as he went past."

Gaius shakes his head. "Agravaine didn't know until much later…. I believe Morgana simply told him to be wary."

"Morgana knew Merlin played a part in stopping all of her plans, didn't she?" Gwen asks.

"I believe so," Gaius answers. "From what Merlin told me of his time as Morgana's prisoner, she also blamed him for Morgause's death as well as the failure of all of her plans."

"A king needs friends," Percival speaks up. "All those who rule alone become cold and heartless."

"Not much different to Uthur." Tristan adds.

"My father was a strong king!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Who had a heart of stone and ruled with an iron fist," Tristan answers. "His enemies feared him, yes, but so did many of his allies…. The people feared him too, it only took one person to say you were sorcerer and you'd be guilty without so much of a trial."

**The following day a messenger rides towards Camelot, while Arthur is training with the help of Merlin. As Merlin holds the punch bag steady, he comments on how Arthur seems tense…. Agitated, on edge, angry. Arthur corrects Merlin saying its controlled aggression, as he punches the bag off the hook, knocking Merlin and the bag to the ground. Seconds later Leon arrives and tells Arthur an army has crossed the border, Caerleon's queen has sent them. Arthur gather the council and tells them they ride out at dawn to face Queen Annis's army. Merlin just watches on, as Agravaine smirks to himself. Elsewhere Morgana has just entered Caerleon's castle, where she is caught by a couple of guards, who bring her before Queen Annis. Morgana speaks of wanting revenge on Camelot and offers Queen Annis her help. Back in Camelot Merlin is complaining about the trip they will be making the following day, not long after Arthur leaves the castle and makes his way down to Gwen's house. **

"Controlled aggression?" Elyan asks. "Why Merlin ever agrees to train with you, is anyone guess!"

"It's not like he had a choice," Leon speaks up, before Arthur can answer. "Merlin was Arthur's man servant."

Gwaine grins. "Then it's a miracle Merlin never quit and forced Arthur to put up with George…. And his brass jokes!"

"Gorlois would turn in his grave, if he could see what Morgana has become," Gaius sighs sadly. "He was a good and honourable man."

Isolde shakes her head. "She doesn't want revenge in her father's name…. It's her who wants it."

"What did Morgana do?" Percival asks. "I don't remember seeing her standing with Queen Annis's army."

Taliesin answers. "She, with Agravaine help, placed an enchantment she hoped would make Arthur lose, it is only because of Merlin that you didn't."

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**After entering Gwen house, Arthur tells Gwen they can no longer be together, it is no longer appropriate and he must do what is expected of him. Gwen is quite clearly upset and as Arthur leaves she warns him not to be talked into things and believe in his heart, because only then he'll be the king he wants to be. The following day, Camelot's army depart with Arthur at the lead, while Gaius and Gwen watch from a window. Gaius tells Gwen not to worry and Gwen tells him the fat****e of this kingdom rests on his shoulder alone, or so Arthur thinks. Arthur watches Caerleon's army, with Agravaine at his side, they go to battle at first light the following morning. Later that night, Arthur watches Merlin and the knights as they sit around a fire, laughing and joking. Merlin looks up and spots Arthur watching them, the knights look round as they notice Merlin gaze, Arthur nodes and makes his way back into his tent. After Merlin and the knights talk, they all enter Arthur's tent. They tell Arthur, they would all lay down their lives for him and will gladly fight in his name. Once they are gone Merlin and Arthur talks and Arthur tells Merlin he had a choice, he could have let Caerleon live, but instead he killed him…. He had bought this war upon Camelot himself.**

"You would give up the women you love, just because your uncle told you to?" Tristan turns to Arthur. "If you would give up the women you love simply because someone told you to, then you do not deserve her."

Arthur turns to Gwen. "I'm sorry, Guinevere, I truly am."

Gwen smiles slightly. "I knew it wasn't really you who was saying it, it was Agravaine…. But you must always trust in your own judgement…. You have a good heart, Arthur, listen to it."

Elyan turns to Arthur. "You are never alone."

"We will always fight by your side." Percival adds.

Leon nodes. "We would go to hell and back for you."

"I'd even give up going to the tavern for you, princess." Gwaine grins.

"I will offer my aid, in any way possible," Gaius speaks up. "And I know Merlin will do the same."

**Later that night Arthur exits his tent. Merlin wakes to see someone leaving the camp and quickly follows, not before tripping over and falling into a tent. Arthur turns and the noise but quickly keeps walking. Arthur enters the Caerleon camp and the guards take him to Queen Annis, where he asks instead of going to battle, Arthur offers for her champion to fight there champion in battle whoever wins, wins the battle also. Suddenly Merlin is dragged into the tent, he had followed Arthur. As they return to their camp Arthur tells Merlin to never do that again. The following day Arthur calls the knights together, plus Agravaine and tells them what he has done. Arthur declares himself the champion, Agravaine smirks and Merlin shakes his head. In the Caerleon camp, Queen Annis and Morgana are talking, Queen Annis thinks what Arthur has said is a trick. Morgana knows Arthur will fight, he would rather risk his own life than that of his men and Queen Annis realises that Morgana wants the throne for herself and needs Arthur to die in order for that to happen.**

Leon shakes his head. "You shouldn't have entered an enemy camp alone, Arthur."

"He wasn't alone," Gwaine grins. "Merlin followed him."

"I was trying to stop a war…. It was the only way I could think of that would prevent hundreds of lives being lost on either side." Arthur answers.

Percival shakes his head. "Merlin had every right to follow you, you could have entered that camp and Queen Annis could have ordered for you to be killed or worse Morgana could have been there."

"I had no reason to believe Queen Annis would kill me in cold blood." Arthur answers.

"You killed her husband!" Tristan snaps. "She had every right to kill you on sight!"

"I think Queen Annis is starting to see Morgana for who she really is," Isolde mutters. "If she was truly Gorlois daughter, she would have no desire for the throne."

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**Later that night while Arthur is asleep, Agravaine steals his sword and sneaks out into the woods. Morgana soon appears and Agravaine hands the sword over. Morgana quickly enchants it and tells Agravaine, Arthur is as good as dead. The following morning Merlin is helping Arthur with his amour, once Merlin is finished, Arthur turns and give Merlin a ring and tells him to give it to Guinevere. Merlin wishes Arthur luck and Agravaine appear to tell Arthur it's time, Arthur draws his sword and Merlin watches Arthur and Agravaine leave. Elsewhere Queen Annis and Morgana are speaking with Caerleon's champion, Morgana tells him he must show Arthur no mercy and that Arthur must die. And so the battle between Arthur and Caerleon's champion begins, Morgana watches from beside Queen Annis and Agravaine watches, smirking, from Camelot's front line. Not long into the battle Morgana mutters a spell, the spell she placed on Arthur's sword the night before is now completed and Arthur's sword suddenly becomes incredibly heavy, Merlin notices something is wrong. After working out Agravaine and Morgana must have done something, he uses magic to stop Arthur from being killed and at last Arthur wins, but he doesn't kill the Caerleon champion.**

"Why did you not have guards?" Isolde asks.

"We were about to go to war," Arthur answer. "It was unlikely someone would try and kill me when they could simply wait for the battle."

"But you had agreed to single combat," Tristan points out. "You'd only be fighting the champion Caerleon."

Gwaine grins. "They'd have to be one hell of a good assassin, to get through a whole army. Arthur tent was at the centre of the camp."

"Agravaine could have killed him," Isolde points out. "And only Gaius and Merlin would have suspected him."

Leon shakes his head. "Thank god Merlin was there…. You would have been dead three times over."

"Do I ever win anything on my own?" Arthur asks. "So far Merlin has helped me every time."

"He's also beaten two armies almost single handily." Elyan adds.

Percival grins. "And killed griffins and other magical on his own."

"Battled sorcerers and other magical beings, on his own." Gwaine laughs.

"He's stopped assassins all by himself in front of hundreds of people," Gwen smiles. "And drank poison for you."

"Saved your life while he was on his death bed." Tristan agrees.

"He even saved Uthur." Isolde adds.

"Okay, Okay," Arthur sighs. "I don't need reminding, it would just be nice if I did something on my own for once."

Gwaine grins. "I think the princesses' pride has been damaged."

**After the battle is over, Queen Annis and Arthur speak. Queen Annis asks Arthur why she spared her champion and Arthur tells her it was not victory he wanted it was peace. Back in the Caerleon camp, Morgana approaches Queen Annis and the two of them speak, Queen Annis tell Morgana that she is full of bitterness and hate. Morgana tells Queen Annis she will never give up until all of Camelot bowed before her, but as she leaves Queen Annis tells her she is more like Uthur than she wants to believe. Arthur and his army return to Camelot where they are welcomed back like heroes, as they enter the courtyard Arthur tells Merlin he should have listened to him. Later while Arthur is lying in bed, there is a knock at the door and Gwen enters with some water. Arthur gives Gwen a small bunch of flowers and tries to apologise to Gwen. They finally make up and share a kiss. **

"I am glad there is peace between Caerleon and Camelot," Arthur nodes. "Caerleon are a strong ally."

"Morgana is never going to give up is she?" Gwen asks sadly.

Gaius shakes his head. "She won't give up until she has the throne."

"Well then," Gwaine mutters. "We need to get Merlin back, if Morgana was to attack now, we would be defenceless."

Taliesin speaks up. "The Morgana you know is dead. She died when she released Mordred, her body is now possessed by the soul of another and she has little interest in Camelot."

Elyan turns to Arthur. "If you ever break my sister heart again, I will harm you, possibly even kill you. King or not, no body hurts my sister and gets away with it."

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if I ever hurt Guinevere," Arthur replies. "I promise you I will do all in my power to make her happy."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.**

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**Merlin, Arthur and the knights are riding through the forest, Merlin suddenly notices they are about to enter the valley of the fallen kings. Merlin quickly warns Arthur nothing good ever happens in the valley of the fallen kings and no one in their right mind would use it. Arthur tells Merlin, the path is a secret, no sooner has he said that, they are ambushed and are soon in the middle of a fight. As Arthur fights, a man on horseback wielding a sword, rides towards Arthur and Merlin uses magic to save him. But as Merlin turns, a horse man wielding a mace rides towards him and before Merlin can react, the mace strikes him and Merlin falls to the ground injured. Not long after, Arthur supports Merlin as they make their way through the woods and hide from the men who had ambushed them. Arthur and Merlin stop to rest and Arthur checks Merlin's injury. The two of them sit talking for a while, Merlin tells Arthur will he be called a hero after he dies and Arthur tells him not to be such a coward, he isn't going to die. Merlin just laughs slightly and tells Arthur, while he's alive he's a coward, but once he's dead he's a hero and Arthur just tells him that's how it works, but Merlin tells him, it's not if you're the king.**

Tristan snorts. "Nothing is going to stay secret for long with Agravaine being in on all your plans."

"He was a trusted member of the council," Arthur answers. "We never had any reason to suspect him."

"Merlin and Gaius did." Percival points out.

Elyan nodes. "Following Agravaine advice almost started a war."

"You should have worked it out," Gwaine adds. "Merlin clearly didn't trust him and neither did Gaius."

"Merlin!" Gwen gasps, as she sees him fall to the ground.

Isolde grips Gwen's arm. "You know he's well, he survived this."

"I know," Gwen answers, still slightly horrified. "But unlike us, Merlin has no one to save him…. He has no secret protector. He can't even heal himself with magic, due to fear of being executed!"

"Merlin truly is a hero," Leon speaks up. "And one of the bravest men I'll ever have the honour of knowing."

**The following morning Arthur walks as he hears the men from the day before, close by. Arthur quickly picks Merlin up and begins making his way through the woods. Merlin tells Arthur to leave him behind, knowing he'll only slow Arthur down, but Arthur tells him to stop joking and then completely ignores him. At last they come to a crevice****, ****Arthur ****spotting ****men ****at ****the ****other ****end, ****puts ****Merlin ****down ****and ****begins ****to ****fight ****them. ****As ****more ****men ****approach**** Arthur ****from ****behind****, ****Merlin ****uses ****the ****last ****of ****his ****strength ****to ****cast**** a ****spell, causing ****a ****rock ****slide ****and ****stopping ****the ****men**** from ****getting**** to ****Arthur. Agravaine leads the men carrying Merlin towards Morgana, where Merlin unconscious form is thrown before her. Morgana isn't the slightest bit pleased Agravaine has only bought her a servant and tells him so. Agravaine goes to kill Merlin, but Morgana stops him, by saying he'll be useful. Soon after she leaves and Agravaine has to return to Camelot but before Morgana leaves she tells him if Gaius tells Arthur who he's really fighting for, she'll have no further use for him.**

"Merlin is the most self-sacrificing man I know." Leon mutters. "I've never known anyone quite like him."

Elyan nodes his agreement. "He asked to be left behind, even though he knew if he was, he would more than likely die or be tortured for information."

"To think," Gwaine mutters. "If we had all known about Merlin's magic, he could have just healed himself and we would have lost him."

Percival thinks for a moment. "But if we all knew about Merlin's magic, then so would Agravaine. If he told Morgana…."

"She'd know he is Emrys." Isolde speaks up.

Gaius nodes. "That was the one advantage we had. Morgana never knew who Merlin truly was and of that we can only be thankful."

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**Sometime later in Morgana's hovel, Merlin is woken up by a bucket of water being thrown over him and he struggles to get his footing as he is chained to the roof of the hovel. Morgana tells him, they have a lot of catching up to do, they hadn't seen each other since Merlin condemned her sister to a slow and painful death and how he stopped her from taking over Camelot. Merlin tells her, once she killed him, could she tell Arthur all he had done, because Arthur still believed him to be useless and Morgana just tells him, she not going to make it that easy for him. Elsewhere Leon and the other knights are making their way through the trees, looking for Arthur and Merlin. They quickly return to Camelot and Arthur promises Gaius they'll find Merlin. Back in Morgana hovel Morgana is asking Merlin why he's so loyal to Arthur and Morgana treats Merlin's wound. **

"If she knew Merlin was responsible for the injury Morgause suffered," Isolde mutters. "How did she not work out Merlin had magic?"

Percival thinks for a moment. "Maybe the injury could have been caused without magic."

"No," Elyan speaks up. "Morgause had powerful magic, you couldn't have got that close to her to cause an injury like that."

"Anyway Merlin didn't kill Morgause, Morgana did." Gwaine speaks up.

"But only because," Leon answers. "Merlin doomed her to die…. She wouldn't have lived much longer if Morgana hadn't killed her."

Gaius nodes. "Morgause only lived as long as she did because of her magic…. I'm not sure any kind of healing spell could have healed that wound, without a life being given. The damage caused was too extensive."

Arthur smiled. "I'm glad Merlin is such a loyal friend…. Even if he acts like an idiot most of the time."

"And it seems the princess is unable to give someone a complement without adding an insult on the end." Gwaine grins.

"Shut up, Gwaine."

**Back in Camelot Agravaine is telling Arthur, they have searched the whole forest but there is still no sign of Merlin, all they found was a single piece of burnt jacket. Arthur doesn't understand how anyone could have known about their route, it was secret, Leon concludes they must have a traitor and Gaius just looks at Agravaine. Back at Morgana's hovel, Morgana is casting an enchantment, while Merlin watches. Once the enchantment is complete, a Fomorroh rises from the flames and Morgana tells Merlin about it. Morgana places one of the Fomorroh's heads in Merlin's neck, where it will take control of his mind and make him kill Arthur Pendragon. The following morning Arthur is woken up by George, who he mistakes for Merlin for a second and it turns out George is a bootlicker. Arthur quickly explains to George he already has a manservant before getting up and leaving. Sometime later Arthur is leaving the castle and Gwen tries to convince him not to go alone, Gwaine appears and informs her Arthur will not be going alone and Arthur been doomed to a day of mindless chatter. Sometime later in the woods, Merlin wakes up covered in mud, close by Arthur and Gwaine are riding. Hearing a noise Arthur stops and dismounts, soon after Merlin stumbles into view and Arthur greets him in a hug. **

"Do you think Agravaine knew about Morgana's plan?" Leon asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "I don't believe he did."

Elyan shivers, as he sees the Fomorroh, it reminded him of the Nathair Morgana had used to torture him. "How did Morgana learn so much dark magic? Morgause couldn't have taught her all of it, she was too ill."

"It is possible," Taliesin speaks. "That she was given spell books and taught herself, but like Merlin teaches himself magic."

"I take it Merlin wasn't at the tavern." Arthur mutters.

"He never is," Gwaine grins. "Instead he was off in the woods beating up the knights of Camelot."

Leon, Elyan and Percival all glare at him.

"It's fine for you,_ Gwaine_," Leon mutters. "He just knocked you out."

Elyan nodes. "The humiliation."

"And you tell me not to attack powerful sorcerers." Gwaine mocks.

"I must admit," Percival speaks up. "I feel slightly better knowing it was Merlin, not some weak-looking old man."

Tristan glances at Arthur. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"He's my best friend," Arthur answers. "And I know he would never have given up on me."

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**Back in Camelot, Gaius and Merlin are sitting down to eat. The Fomorroh begins to effect Merlin, he not only insults Gaius but also his cooking. Merlin quickly asks Gaius what the strongest poison he has is and Gaius tells him, after Merlin explains he had a chance to poison the bandits' food. Merlin takes some of the poison telling Gaius you never know when might need to kill someone. Down in the kitchen Merlin insults the cook and her food, to the amusement of one of the kitchen staff and puts poison all over Arthur's food. On the way through the castle Merlin runs into Gwaine, who tries to steal some of Arthur's food, Merlin insults Gwaine and stops him from stealing the food. Reaching Arthur's chamber, Merlin finds Gwen has already served Arthur lunch, which ruins Merlin's plan. Gwen and Arthur notice there is something off about Merlin's behaviour and share worried glances.**

Gwaine starts laughing and is forced to hold his sides, as he watches Merlin insult Gaius. "Your face Gaius…. Ha-ha…. You have to admit that was funny."

Gaius coughs. "Remember where Merlin got that poison from, Gwaine."

Leon and Elyan shakes their heads as Merlin insults the cook.

"He's either really brave or really stupid." Leon mutters.

Elyan nodes. "Nobody insults the cook, unless they want burnt food for a month."

Percival grins as Merlin insults Gwaine and stops him from stealing food. "Was that a look of betrayal?"

Gwaine pouts slightly. "Merlin always lets and/or helps me steal food, even from the royal plate."

"So that's why when ever Merlin delivers my food the plates half empty," Arthur mutters, glaring at Gwaine. "I should have known."

**Later that day, Merlin is pacing and Gaius asks Merlin if he's alright and Merlin simply insults him again, telling him two heads are better than one, but not when one of them is his. Down in the weapons room, Leon helps Merlin find a crossbow, after Merlin tells him Arthur wants a cross bow. Merlin fires it and it destroys the barrel, he tells Leon it'll do the job perfectly and thanks him. Leon asks Merlin what the job is and Merlin tells him it's to kill Arthur, Leon just asks if Arthur driving him mad and Merlin answers not for much longer. Merlin sets up a trap in Arthur's wardrobe, he tests to see if it works and it does. Arthur enters not long after and Merlin quickly hides the arrow, which is stuck in one of the pillars. Sometime later Gwen and Gaius are checking the food Merlin had planned to give to Arthur, after it had killed a pig in the lower town. Gaius tells Gwen what poison was used and Gwen can't understand why Merlin would want to kill Arthur. They go in search of Merlin and find Leon he tells them Arthur must be getting on Merlin's nerves because Merlin asked for a crossbow…. To kill Arthur with. **

Gwaine grins. "You have to admit, even when he's enchanted, he still has wit."

"Merlin is never that rude." Gwen points out.

Gwaine snorts. "Unless he's talking to Arthur."

"But that's only in good jest." Gwen answers. "Plus he never insults us, it's only Arthur."

"The royal treatment." Gwaine grins.

Elyan grins. "No one would ever believe Merlin wanted to kill Arthur."

"This is not funny," Arthur snaps. "Merlin had been enchanted by Morgana…. If Agravaine had found out he would have blamed Merlin to cover his own back and I would have had no choice but to kill him."

Leon shakes his head. "It was quite amusing, you have to admit, I hadn't laughed that hard for quite some time."

"Is no one worried about my life? My life was at stake!" Arthur asks.

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**In Arthur chamber Arthur is changing behind a screen and Merlin is resetting the trap. Arthur asks Merlin option on the different knights being traitors, even while Merlin is enchanted he still convinces Arthur Percival isn't a traitor. As Arthur goes to the wardrobe, Merlin watches, but the trap fails to go off. Arthur goes back behind the screen and Merlin checks the trap, just missing the arrow as it fires. Arthur begins to question Elyan loyalty and asks Merlin for his ceremonial sword, which gives Merlin an idea. He charges at Arthur with the sword, but runs into a pillar and knocks himself out, Arthur turns to find Merlin unconscious and just grabs his sword and leaves the room passing Gwen and Gaius. As Merlin wakes, Gwen knocks him out with a water jug. Back in Gaius's chamber, Gaius explains to Gwen what the creature in Merlin's neck is. Gaius quickly cuts the Fomorroh out of Merlin's neck with a knife and Gwen looks away.**

Percival glances at Arthur. "You thought I was the traitor?"

"I didn't know who I could trust," Arthur answers. "I was suspicious of everyone…. Morgana was a highly trusted member of the court and close to the king, I thought it could have been anyone."

Percival thinks for a moment. "I don't remember telling Merlin about my family."

"No," Leon answers. "You didn't. Lancelot told him."

Percival nodes. "He did, I remember now."

"So," Elyan mutters. "You thought anyone who would sacrifice themselves for you was a traitor? I'd only ever hurt you if you hurt Gwen."

Arthur nodes. "I know."

Gaius shakes his head. "I should never have destroyed the Fomorroh head."

**Elsewhere Arthur has gone to see Agravaine. He explains to Agravaine all the reasons why he suspects Agravaine to be the traitor and Agravaine is quick to defend himself. Agravaine tells Arthur, if he betrays him, he's betraying all that is left of his dead sister and that is something he'd never do. When he sees Arthur is thinking he quickly adds, Gaius also knew the route. The following day, Merlin gets up and enters the main chamber, but as he shoved bottles into his bag, he wakes Gaius up. As Merlin leaves, Gaius notices the Fomorroh is back in Merlin's neck, but before Gaius can do anything Merlin leaves. Merlin who has just prepared Arthur a bath, trips a powder into the bath and it begins to bubble. Elsewhere Gaius and Gwen are quickly making their way through the castle. As Arthur talks to Merlin, as he getting changed, Merlin dips a sword into the water and pulls it out, it's almost completely destroyed.**

"So close yet so far." Gwaine sighs, shaking his head.

Leon looks at Arthur. "How could you even think it was Gaius? He was one of Uthur's most trusted advisers!"

"I know," Arthur answers. "But I didn't want to believe Agravaine would betray me…. Betray my mother."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "We all should have seen Agravaine true nature…. If more of us had known, maybe we would have been believed."

Arthur shakes his head. "Even if the whole court told me Agravaine was a traitor, I don't think I would have believed them…."

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**Gwen and Gaius enter the room and Gwen once again knocks Merlin out, Gaius quickly hides Merlin behind a pillar. Arthur suddenly appears from behind the screen, naked, much to Gwen surprise and Arthur embarrassment. Gwen quickly explains, Arthur can't have a bath because the waters to cold. Once they return to Gaius quarters, Gaius wakes Merlin up, once the Fomorroh head is dormant. Once Gwen is gone, Gaius explains to Merlin what has happened and he also tells Merlin how to stop the Fomorroh, by destroying it. Merlin quickly comes up with a plan to destroy the Fomorroh and prepares to leave. Gaius asks him what he should say if Arthur asks where's gone and Merlin answers anywhere but the tavern. Merlin rides into the woods and dismounts before hiding to cast the spell to change him into Dragoon, he returns to his horse, but is unable to climb up.**

Everyone, but Arthur and Gwen, burst out laughing. Gwen goes slightly red and Arthur shifts slightly.

"'You're not Merlin.'?" Gwaine asks. "Do you always walk around naked whole Merlin's around?"

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Merlin was my man servant, he should have been there."

"He was," Elyan grins. "Just hidden behind a pillar."

Leon grins. "The water was cold? That was all you could come up with?"

"I couldn't have said the real reason," Gwen points out. "Or otherwise Merlin could have been killed for treason!"

All the knights suddenly groan as they see Dragoon struggling with his horse, they all know what's coming next.

**As Dragoon continues to try and climb onto the horse, Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan approach him from behind. After they force Dragoon to move away from the horse, Dragoon speaks with them and Leon only just stops Gwaine from running Dragoon through. After Dragoon threatens the life of the king, Gwaine gets knocked out. And Leon and Percival are thrown into Elyan, who are all then used as stairs. Dragoon rides off into the woods laughing to himself. Elsewhere in Morgana's hovel, Agravaine is informing Morgana he's made Arthur suspect Gaius as the traitor. As Agravaine and Morgana leave Morgana's hovel, Dragoon watches from above, before making his way down and entering the hovel. As Dragoon searches for the Fomorroh, Morgana enters carrying fire wood, which she drops at the sight of Dragoon and flees from the hovel. Not long after, Morgana appears again and tells Dragoon, he's just her imagination, but as Dragoon steals the Fomorroh, Morgana charges at him with a dagger and Dragoon wordlessly sends her backwards. **

Arthur shakes his head. "You are supposed to be the best knights in the realm…."

"Your knights are the best in the realm, you say?" Tristan can't help but mock. "Yet an old man uses them as steps up to his horse."

"He wasn't just any old man," Leon mutters. "He was Merlin."

Elyan nodes. "And he has magic."

"The powerful magic." Gwaine adds.

Arthur grins slightly. "So why was the fact 'a powerful sorcerer' used you as steps for his horse, not included in your reports?"

All the knights shift slightly, but no one answers.

"I'm waiting." Arthur mutters.

Isolde smiles. "You might have to waiting a while."

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**Dragoon quickly flees the hovel, but Morgana catches up and sends him flying across the small clearing, but as she goes to kill him, he casts a spell and sends her crashing to the other side of the clearing. Dragoon approach her and Morgana tells him Camelot will never friend of his. Morgana suddenly casts a second spell and Dragoon is thrown sideways, Morgana grabs the Fomorroh and goes to leave. But Dragoon casts a spell summoning a whirlwind, Morgana tries to stop it, but isn't powerful enough and she is soon no longer a threat for the time being. Dragoon collapses back to the ground, weakened by such a powerful spell, before picking up the Fomorroh and destroying it.**

Leon glares at Morgana. "How did she recover so quickly? She caught up with him pretty fast."

"She didn't," Elyan mutters. "Merlin had aged himself to eighty years old."

Gwaine grins. "He was slow and Morgana caught up."

"Morgana did look incredibly frightened, when she saw Merlin though." Percival points out.

Arthur nodes. "I've never seen her that scared of anyone…. Not even Uthur when he yelled at her."

Gwen winces as she watches Merlin and Morgana fight. "He quite clearly more powerful than her…. But why didn't he cast any counter spells?"

"Air based spells," Gaius explains. "Are harder to create counter spells for, due to their speed and strength."

"Why didn't he just kill her then?" Isolde asks. "He could have killed her."

"I think," Gaius answers. "Merlin had more pressing matters to deal with."

**Back in Camelot, Gaius pulls the remains of the Fomorroh head from Merlin's neck and Gwen soon enters. Gwen quickly informs him Arthur is not in a good mood, so Merlin quickly goes to see Arthur. Arthur tells Merlin if he wanted to remain in his service he had to spend the week training with George. But as Merlin follows George he stops and asks Arthur why, if George is so good, doesn't he just give George the job. Arthur quickly explains to Merlin how boring George is and he even makes jokes about brass! Elsewhere Agravaine is riding through the woods towards Morgana's hovel, upon entering the hovel Agravaine finds the place a complete mess and quickly goes in search of Morgana. He finds her unconscious in the woods and quickly carries her back to her hovel.**

Gwen couldn't help but laugh as she watched Merlin go off to 'train' with George.

Isolde looked at her, slightly confused. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because," Gwen finally replies. "For a couple of weeks after the 'training' was complete, Merlin acted like the perfect servant…. I'm sure if Merlin had kept it up much longer Arthur would have gone mad."

Gwaine grins. "Yeah, the princess did nothing but sulk."

"I did not _sulk_!" Arthur snaps.

"Could have fooled me." Gwaine laughs. "How we survived training…."

"I think I still have the bruises." Elyan jokes.

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**Hey hope you liked that chapter, I'm planning on getting the next chapter up by Friday. I would just like to recommend RiverOfAntDecGoldSwanMerlock's RP Here's the link if you want to join: www . **** /forum/Merlin-RP/159587/ (no spaces for some reason it won't let me type fan fiction. net, but I'm sure everyone knows the fan fiction web address) then go to the cannon claiming and oc creator page and choose a character or create your own (Merlin, Freya, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Mordred, Kara, Morgause and Morgana Pendragon are already taken, but all the others are still up for grabs :)).**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	49. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-eight: The right destiny

Merlin and Freya rode side by side, a they made their way back to the tower. Tyr had been able to summon some horses to get them back to the tower quicker and Zafira had flown off towards the west, in search of Jared and any others forces he may be planning to attack with. Merlin glanced round, he and Freya were on their own, the others had riden ahead to inform the council of what had happened.

"The stars are beautiful tonight, don't you think?" Freya asks, glancing up at the quickly darkening sky.

Merlin glances upwards and smiles slightly. "They are. "

"My mother used to tell me all the stars in the night sky tell stories. ... I used to think she just made them up, but they were the most amazing stories. "

Smiling Merlin glanced at Freya. "My mother always told me stars were the guardians of our realm, that they watched over us all and granted wishes to those who deserved them."

"Did your wishes ever come true?" Freya asks.

"No," Merlin answers, shaking his head. "But then what I wished for was not something which could be changed. "

"What did you wish for?" Freya asks, curious.

Thinking for a moment, Merlin sighs. "I wished I wasn't a monster."

Freya pulls her horse to a stop. "What?"

"I used to wish I wasn't a monster, that I wasn't evil... All I ever heard was people saying how evil magic was and how all those who had it were evil..."

"You're not a monster, Merlin." Freya answers. "You could never be a monster."

Merlin smiles sadly. "But for a long time I belived I was a monster... There are times when I still believe I am a monster."

"You could never be a monster, Merlin, " Freya answers. "You should never believe you're a monster... You're the kindest person I know."

Merlin shakes his head. "Do you really believe that?"

"You're not a monster, Merlin." Freya repeats. "You could never be a monster."

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Hunith smiled as Merlin and Freya walked through the door, hand in hand and made there way into the room.

"Mother." Merlin greets his mother.

"My boy." Hunith replies, kissing her sons forehead.

Freya smiles. "Good evening, Hunith."

"No need to be so formal," Hunith smiles. "You're family."

Freya smiles sadly. "It's been a long time since I've had a family."

Hunith grips Freya's arm. "Well you have a family now... You two better sit down, you're stew is getting cold."

"Mother..." Merlin complains.

Freya laughs slightly. "I must say, I'm starving."

Hunith smiled. "Well hurry up and eat then."

Freya and Merlin quickly take their places at the table, Hunith smiles as she notices, they are still holding hands.

Alice smiles, as she joined them at the table. "Merlin I was wondering if you could lend me a hand tomorrow... There have been reports of a sickness spreading near the border and I am to busy to make the journey. "

Merlin smiled as he swollowed a mouthful of stew. "I'm sure I'll have an hour or two free to go check it out."

"And if he doesn't, I'll go." Freya answers.

Alice glances at Freya. "Healing in this realm is much different to that in Avalon."

"I know," Freya replies. "My mother was a druid, so she taught me the basics of healing... I can simply go and look and report my findings back to you."

Alice nodes. "I would be greatful for the help."

Hunith watched her son, as he ate. "I'm not sure whether you are eating or inhaling your strew... Be careful or you might choke. "

"You sound like Gaius," Merlin laughs. "Only your soup doesn't taste like bog water."

"Merlin!" Hunith scolds.

Alice laughs. "Gaius is a great physician and I love him dearly, but his cooking is terrible."

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Merlin sighed, as he lay on his and Freya's bed, staring at the ceiling and clunting the cracks. On the other side of the room, Freya was getting changed into her nightdress, behind a screen.

"There's something troubling you, Merlin." Freya speaks. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do you really believe I'm not a monster?" Merlin asks after a moments silence.

"I do," Freya answers. "You are not a monster, Merlin."

Merlin sighed again. "But what if I am a monster?"

"Why would you think you're a monster? How could you possibly think you're a monster!"

"In the council today... I was speaking with Iseldir, he told me I choose the best destiny... But I can't help thinking I didn't."

"What do you mean?" Freya asks.

"When I first entered Camelot, Kilgharrah told me it was my destiny to protect Arthur until he became king... That Arthur was the once and future king and he would unite all of Albion."

"But Arthur is the once and future king..."

"He is," Merlin agrees. "But I didn't have to protect him... My destiny had more than one path. Kilgharrah simply guided me down the path, he thought was the best."

Freya glances at Merlin as she sat down on the bed beside him. "But how isn't the path you've chosen the best?"

Merlin shut his eyes. "I watched so many people burn, or be beheaded, or hanged... Gods, Uthur even drowned people while I was in Camelot... How could watching so many people die be the best path?"

Freya sighs and grips Merlin's hand. "And what would the result of following a different path be?"

"I don't know." Merlin sighs. "But there must have been something better than watching hundreds of people die at the hands of Uthur."

"But you don't know for sure," Freya answers. "What do you think Uthur would have done if a sorcerer kept saving everyone he tried to kill? He sentenced those closest to him to be burnt for witchcraft, when he believed a sorcerer was mocking him! He would have started a second great purge, he would have killed anyone who simply knew about magic."

"You don't know that," Merlin mutters. "I could have saved hundreds of people."

"And Uthur would have killed thousands more!" Freya answers. "You saved evryone you could Merlin and many of those who died were not innocent... Revenge is not always the answer and killing those who have no defence against magic, with magic is hardly the right thing to do... The fight should have at least been fair."

Merlin shakes his head. "Many Uthur killed were innocent, Freya and I did nothing to try and save them... I can still see them dying every time I shut my eyes... I can still hear the screams every time it's silent."

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Freya lay with her head resting on Merlin's chest, she knew the deaths of those he couldn't save rested heavily on his conscience... But there was little either of them could do to change the past, they could only learn from it. They could learn from their mistakes and they could make sure those mistakes were never repeated in the future.

"The first person I watched die was Thomas James Collins," Merlin suddenly speaks. "His mother, Mary Collins, was the first person I killed... She tried to kill Arthur, I had to stop her."

"You feel guilty." Freya muters.

"I killed her," Merlin mutters. "But she killed innocent people to get revenge on Uthur... I just wish I could have saved her son, he didn't use magic to harm the kingdom... He was just trying to help."

Freya gripped Merlin's hand. "But what could you have done Merlin? Your mother sent you to Camelot to try and help you control your magic... You didn't even know any spells!"

"Yet I keep getting told I'm the most powerful sorcerer of all time! I should have been able to save him." Merlin answers.

"Merlin you have a great power... A great destiny," Freya speaks. "But you are yet to learn the full potential of what your magic can do... It would have been like giving a farmer a sword and asking them to fight an army of knights."

Merlin sighs. "I killed Edwin."

"He practiced dark magic," Freya replies. "You killed him, because if you hadn't he would have killed Gaius and Gaius is your family... You killed him to protect your family."

"I killed Sophia and her father, Alfuric."

"And they were willing to sacrifice a life for their own selfish gain... They were going to kill the once and future king."

"Alfufic was just trying to give his daughter a better life." Merlin answers.

"I know," Freya replies. "But they were thrown out of Avalon for a reason."

"I killed Nimueh." Merlin mutters, after a moments silence.

"She used dark magic that is forbidden by the magic council. She turned her back on the ways of the high priestess." Freya answers. "She nearly killed your mother and she killed Gaius. She nearly killed you... You should be dead, the poison killed you. She created a creature which killed many innocent people. She was blinded by her need for revenge and didn't care who she killed in order to get it... By the laws set by the magic council, she was guilty and the sentence for such crimes is death..."

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"I led Arthur and the knights straight to a druid camp." Merlin mutters. "I should have known my tracks were easy to follow."

Freya sighs. "We all make mistakes, Merlin."

"Yeah," Merlin laughs harshly. "And mine cost many of innocent lives."

"You were trying to do the right thing." Freya answers.

Merlin shakes his head. "I could have just left Morgana with the druids... She was happy there, she found somwhere she belonged and fitted in... Somewhere were she was scared of who she really was."

"You tried to help Morgana the only way you could without reveling you had magic... If you had not gone after her and tried to convince her to return, Uthur would have hunted everyone with magic down... You know what he did when Morgause took Morgana from Camelot... Hundreds of people died trying to find her."

"Maybe if I had helped Morgana understand her power, like Gaius did for me... Maybe she wouldn't be the way she is now. I could have taught her the good magic can do and that it was not something to be feared..."

"But at what cost?" Freya asks.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asks confused.

"If you had helped Morgana and she knew you had magic, do you really think it would have been safe her knowing?"

"She was my friend, Freya, she would never have told Uthur!"

"Maybe not," Freya agrees. "But what if a sorcerer was caught, do you not think she would have tried to talk you into helping them escape? If Uthur had caught you, you would have been executed, not Morgana. Uthur would never harm Morgana, you would have been killed and blamed for corrupting Morgana against the king."

Merlin sighs. "But I should have done something to stop her following the path she took."

"She was destined to follow the path of darkness, Merlin." Freya answers.

"But you have more than one destiny," Merlin replies. "My choices forced her down the path she has taken... I poisoned her, I let her fall into the hands of Morgause and all that dark magic has to offer... It my fault."

"Morgana chose to fight against Camelot, she chose to try and kill you, Arthur, Gwen and everyone she once cared about... You may have poisoned her to save Camelot, but you did not force her to hate those she once loved. She and she alone made that choice."

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"I killed two Sidhe and a pixie." Merlin speaks. "Kiling a Sidhe is punishable by death."

"The Sidhe elder you killed tried to kill you... You acted in self defence. The pixie also would have killed you if you had killed her. And the second Sidhe was placed in a human child, a Sidhe which possessed a child would be killed by the high priests and priestesses."

"I doomed Morgause to die a slow and painful death."

"She practiced dark magic, she used magic that was forbidden and killed many innocent people who couldn't fight against her."

"I killed Uthur."

Freya shakes her head. "You tried your best to save him, you did all in your power to save him... Morgana's left hand path charm was what killed him."

"It was my fault Freya, I should have known Morgana would try something like that... But I was so happy Arthur might accept magic, I didn't think. I even knew Agrivaine was working for Morgana!"

"Somethings are easy to forget in the light of another," Freya answers. "We all foret things from time to time."

"My forgetfulness killed a king."

"Morgana killed Uthur, Merlin, not you... You simply played a part in a plan you had no idea about."

"I killed Agrivaine."

"And he would have killed you, he even tried to before you killed him! He helped kidnap Gaius, almost start a war... He betrayed Arthur and Camelot, all becuase he wanted power and revenge on the man he blamed for his sisters death... He was not a good man, he may have been once, but his need for revenge mage him turn his back on everything that made him a good and honorable man."

Merlin sighed. "I've killed so many people..."

"You have done what you needed to, to protect your self and the people you love and care about... You have saved far more people than you have killed or let die."

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**Hey everyone, sorry about not updating sooner. I dropped by Surface rt and it had be sent away to get repaired and won't be back for another three weeks :/ So I have half-inched my mum's samsung tablet, which sadly dose not upload word documents... So while trying to find a way to put up a note to inform you I wouldn't be putting chapters up for a bit, I found a way to write chapters without having to upload documents :) (it only took me a week and a half to work that out :/) Anyway hoped you like that chapter, next up is the secret sharer and Lamia, which will be up real soon.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	50. Chapter 49

Disclaimer I not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-nine: The secret sharer and Lamia.

Isolde and Tristan shared a smile, as they sat beside each other, holding hands. Everyone else was still asleep, but Isolde knew they would wake soon.

"Hunith must be so proud," Isolde suddenly speaks. "Her son has saved camelot more times than any knight."

Tristan nodes. "But she must've worried... Her son lived in a kingdom where he would have been burnt, if anyone found out about his magic."

Isolde smiled sadly. "If he hadn't saved me, he would still be in Camelot... He wouldn't have been forced to leave. "

"If he hadn't saved you, you'd be dead Isolde." Tristan mutters, gripping Isolde hand. "The pain I felt... I could do nothing but watch as you lay dieing in my arms... I would have traded my own life to save yours."

"But if he had let me die, he'd still be in Camelot... Still be with his friends, the people he's risked his life to save time and time again."

"He'd still be living in fear of being executed and forever fighting a battle from the shadows," Tristan argues. "He'd still be hiding who he is and fearing what his friends would do if they ever found out who he truly is... By saving you, everyone knows who he is and they have accepted him."

"But what if that hooded person hadn't taken Merlin from Camelot... He could have been executed for saving my life, Tristan!"

"You saved Arthur's life!" Tristan answers. "You saved Arthur when Merlin could not... He was repaying a debt, the best way he could! He's saved your life before and I'm sure he'd save your life again."

"He could have been killed, Tristan!" Isolde answers.

"Merlin has gambled his own life from the moment he stepped foot in Camelot... He knew what would happen if he was ever caught. "

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name... Merlin.**

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**Agrivaine cooks some stew as he waits for Morgana to wake, after finding her in the woods unconscious. As he waits Morgana has a dream about Emrys and soon wakes up. Agrivaine quickly asks her what happened and Morgana explains Emrys was here in her hovel and destroyed her latest plan to kill Arthur. Agrivaine works out Gaius must me giving Emrys information. Morgana quickly comes up with a plan to make Gaius tell them where to find Emrys. Elsewhere in Camelot, Merlin drags Arthur out of bed and gives Arthur his breakfast. Agrivaine soon appears asking to speak to Arthur alone.**

Elyan shakes his head. "We should have worked out Agrivaine was the tratior long before this."

Percival nodes. "We all should have seen where his true loyalties lay."

"I know Merlin would never kill in cold blood," Leon mutters. "But it would have saved so much blood shed if he had just killed her there..."

Gwen glanced at Arthur, after watching Merlin drag him out of bed. "You're the king, Arthur... You should know how to get out of bed by now!"

Gwaine grins. "And how to dress yourself!"

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "A servant helps you dress in the morning!"

"That's only because Gwaine is so hungover in the morning, he usually can't even think straight." Leon mutters.

"What do you mean?" Elyan jokes. "Gwaine can never think straight."

**Elswhere Morgana has taken a horse and riden to a place she hopes to find someone who will help her in her quest to find out who Emrys is. Back in Camelot, Agrivaine convinces Arthur to question Gaius and find out whether he's the traitor. At first Arthur refuses to, but agrees with Agrivaine in the end. Elsewhere Morgana speaks with Alator of the Catha and after trading her healing bracelet, Morgana gets him to agree to help her find out who Emrys is. Back in Camelot Agrivaine helps Arthur question Gaius. After Gaius has left, Arthur challenges Agrivaine on the way he questioned Gaius and Agrivaine tells Arthur, Gaius was clearly lying. Arthur tells him they have no proof he's the tratior. **

Gwaine snorts. "Yeah, there is someone plotting against you, Arthur and he was standing right next to you."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "If I had known my uncle was the tratior, I would never have questioned Gaius."

"How could you have even believed Gaius was a tratior?" Tristan asks. "From what we have seen, he's been nothing but loyal to you and Camelot. "

Arthur turns to Gaius. "I'm sorry, I should have believed you would never betray Camelot."

"You need to trust those around you," Gaius speaks. "You, like your father, need to trust those who are loyal to you and always will be... You see foes where there are friends and friends where there are foes."

Isolde frowns, as she looks at Alator. "Is it just me or have we seen him before?"

"He is familiar." Tristan agrees.

Leon thinks for a moment. "He's the sorcerer who took Merlin from Camelot after he healed Isolde."

"What!" Gwen exclaimed. "But he's in league with Morgana!"

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**later that night, Alator and his body guards enter Camelot and elsewhere Agrivaine has has summoned Merlin to his chamber and given him a dagger to give to Arthur as a gift. Elswhere Alator and his body guard have entered the stables and released a horse. Agrivaine is waiting for them at a side door and they quickly enter the castle. Gaius is working in his chamber, when Alator grabs him from behind and knocks him out with a spell. As Gaius is taken from Camelot, Agrivaine plants books about sorcery in Gaius's things and packs some of his clothing before quickly leaving. Elsewhere Merlin is placing the knife on the side beside Arthur's bed when the alarm bell sounds.**

Gaius shakes his head slightly. "Merlin had warned me about the lengths Morgana would go to... But me and Merlin alike were unprepared for what happened that night."

"You had no reason to believe you'd be taken from the castle," Elyan mutters. "Even Morgana doesn't risk entering the city, that often."

Percival nodes. "You had ever right to feel safe, there are not many who can kidnap someone from the heart of the Camelot."

"We shouldn't have been so quick to trust Agrivaine, when he was the only one who believed you'd betray Camelot." Leon speaks up.

Gaius shakes his head. "All the evidence you found, would have found me guilty before the court... You had ever right to believe Agrivaine."

"We should have trusted your loyalty, " Gwen speaks. "We all should have believed Merlin... Even I didn't believe what Merlin said about Agrivaine."

**Not long after the bell sounds, Merlin, Arthur and Agrivaine watch as the guards search Gaius's room. Agrivaine tells Arthur Gaius was seen leaving the city and Leon soon appears to tell them a horse is missing from the stables. Elsewhere Alator, his body guard and Gaius are still riding away from Camelot. The following day, Merlin stands with his back to a pillar as Arthur and Agrivaine talk about Gaius's betrayal, how it wasn't just the years of betrayal, but the lies. Agrivaine convinces Arthur, Gaius is the tratior ane Arthur refuses to send people after him. After Agrivaine leaves, Merlin tries to convince Arthur, Agrivaine is wrong and Gaius is innocent.**

"Well," Gwaine grins slightly. "I think we all know know now, why Merlin never told you about his magic... If you believed Gaius guilty on the word of one man, what chance would he have had?"

"I could never kill-" Arthur begins, before being cut off.

"You wouldn't what? Kill him?" Gwaine snaps. "You believed Gaius guilty even though in your heart of hearts you knew it could never be true! You killed the king of Caerleon because your uncle told you to! There is no way in hell Agrivaine would have let Merlin live, if he had told you he was Emrys and all he had done to stop Morgana."

Elyan nodes his agreement and speaks up before Arthur has a chqnce to. "When you first learnt of Merlin's magic you ordered him to be bought back to Camelot where he would never use magic again or be killed! Your uncle would have had him killed as soon as he was found out!"

"I..." Arthur starts. "I don't believe I could ever kill Merlin... Even if he had been bought back to Camelot, I don't think I could have killed him."

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**Elsewhere Alator leads his body guard, who is carrying Gaius, deep into a network of tunnels. When they reach a large cave, Gaius is placed on the stone altar. Morgana soon appears and wakes Gaius up, they exchange some words and Morgana leaves. As soon as Morgana is gone, Alator begins to try and make Gaius tell him who Emrys is. Back in Camelot, Merlin is reading through some of Gaius's papers, when Gwen enters. Gwen agrees to help Merlin in anyway she can, but Arthur trusts Agrivaine more than anyone else. Elsewhere Alator surrounds Gaius in a ring of fire, but Gaius uses his own magic to put it out, which only angers Alator.**

"I know that place," Leon mutters. "We used to pass it on patrol, but then the route was changed."

Elyan nodes. "Smugglers used to use the caves to hide goods and bandits also used the area to hide from patrols."

"We're never used that area for smuggling," Isolde speaks. "The cliffs and ground is too unstable in wet weather."

Tristan nodes. "I've heard a tale or two of the landslides and the people lost in them."

Arthur glanced at Gwen. "Did you believe what Merlin said about Agrivaine?"

"No," Gwen answers. "But I didn't trust Agrivaine, not after the meeting i had in his chambers... But I never believed he'd betray you."

Gwaine looks at Gaius. "Why didn't you use magic to escape?... You could have used one of those whirlwinds."

"Transportation spells," Gaius answers, choosing not to comment on Gwaine lack of knowledge. "Require a lot of energy and magic, of which I had neither."

**Back in Camelot, Merlin is looking through Agrivaine's room, he soon discovers a book full of magic books under his bed. Merlin notices a mud trail on the floor and quickly takes a sample of the mud, noticing its not from the local area. But is quickly forced to hide, when Agrivaine returns from seeing Morgana. As Merlin leaves, Agrivaine notices him and quickly works out Merlin has a sample of mud from his boots. Merlin returns to the phyicians chamber, to find Gwaine waiting for him. Gwaine helps Merlin work out the soil on Agrivaine's boots is iron ore and can only be found in one place within Camelot's borders. The two of them quickly ride out, unaware Agrivaine is watching them go.**

"Do you think Merlin will ever get caught?" Gwaine grins.

"Agrivaine did see him leave." Elyan points out.

"But he wasn't caught," Gwaine replies. "Agrivaine saw him leave, but he didn't know for sure what Merlin was doing."

Leon raises an eyebrow at Gwaine. "Playing soldiers?"

"What can I say," Gwaine grins. "It gets boring after a while."

Percival glanced at Gwaine. "You and Merlin shouldn't have gone on your own."

"No one else was willing to believe him," Gwaine replies. "I trust Merlin."

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**Elsewhere Gaius is still refusing to tell Alator who Emrys is. Agrivaine quickly leaves Camelot and rides to Morgana's hovel, where he quickly informs Morgana Merlin and Gwaine are on there way to where Gaius is being held. Merlin and Gwaine are just entering the network of caves and tunnels where Gaius is begin held. Deeper in the network of caves and tunnels, Gaius finally tells Alator who Emrys is. Not far from where Gaius is Gwaine and Merlin are attacked by Alator's body guard and Merlin is forced to use magic to stop the guard from killing Gwaine. The two of them then split up in hope of finding Gaius quicker and Merlin tells Gwaine, if he finds Gaius just leave and don't wait for him.**

"You're stronger than you look," Tristan mutters. "The Catha are well known for their methods of getting information. "

Gaius sadly shakes his head. "I made an oath I would never betray Merlin, yet I gave away his greatest secret... I can only thank the gods Morgana never found out who Merlin truly is."

"Trust Agrivaine to go running to Morgana at the first sign of trouble." Elyan mutters.

"How did you not cross paths with Morgana and Agrivaine?" Leon asks, glancing at Gwaine.

"When I got to Gaius, Agrivaine was already there," Gwaine answers. "But I didn't see Morgana or even know she was there."

**Morgana and Agrivaine arrive and quickly enter the network of tunnels and caves. Morgana warns Agrivaine if Gaius remains alive, Agrivaine place in Camelot could be exposed and Agrivaine promises Morgana, Gaius wil not breath another word. Merlin hides as Alator passes before continuing. Elsewhere Agrivaine finds Gaius and goes to cut his throat just as Gwaine appears, he quickly lies and tells Gwaine he was checking to see if Gaius was breathing, after following him and Merlin. Gwaine and Agrivaine quickky leave taking Gaius back to Camelot, leaving Merlin behind. Elsewhere Merlin runs into Morgana, Alator appears and Morgana tells him, he's Merlin. And asks Alator if he found out who Emrys is and Alator answers he does, whilst staring at Merlin.**

Gwaine growls. "I knew it! He was trying to kill Gaius!"

"Gaius..." Arthur begins. "I truly am sorry for what happened to you."

"I know," Gaius speaks. "But that does not change the fact it happened and everyone, but Merlin, believed I would betray Camelot. "

Gwen grips Gaius's arm. "We all know you'd never betray Camelot."

Percival shakes his head. "That must have been hard for Merlin, being told the reason Gaius was taken was because Morgana wanted to know his none druidic name."

"What would Morgana have done, if she found out Merlin was Emrys?" Isolde asks. "I mean Merlin is quite clearly stronger than Morgana, if they were to fight openly, Merlin would win."

Gwen puts her hands over her mouth as she gasps. "He's going to tell her Merlin Emrys, isn't he?"

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**As Morgana demands to know who Emrys is, Alator uses his staff to knock her out and then pledges alliance to Merlin. Elsewhere Agrivaine and Gwaine have made it back to Camelot and quickly carry Gaius back to his chamber, Arthur having been inforned is waiting for them and Agrivaine knows he could be exposed as the tratior he is. Gwen takes care of Gaius until he awakes, as Gwen cares for Gaius, Agrivaine tells Arthur they both owe Gaius and Merlin an apology. Elsewhere Morgana regains consciousness, to find Alator has left her healing bracelet and Morgana finally understands where Alator's true loyalties lie.**

Gwen sighs with relief. "I fear to think what would have happened if Alator had told Morgana, Merlin is Emrys. "

"Morgana could have worked out Merlin was Emrys, " Gwaine points out. "He went straight over to Merlin and pretty much said he was Emrys. "

"Says the man he walked in on Agrivaine about to slice Gaius throat and believed he was checking for breath. " Tristan points out.

Arthur glances at Gaius, feeling ashamed. "If Merlin hadn't believed in your innocence you would died... Alator would have left you there wouldn't he?"

"I know not, what Alator would have done," Gaius speaks. "But I do not believe he would have left me at the mercy of Morgana... He knew I was close to Merlin and for that fact alone I do not believe he would have left me to die."

Isolde shakes her head. "Agrivaine would have killed you, if Gwen wasn't there. Weren't you worried about what Agrivaine could do or try and do?"

"Agrivaine knew I wouldn't tell Arthur," Gaius answers. "He knew if he tried to harm me, he could get exposed."

**Back in Camelot Merlin sits with Gaius, who is still recovering. Gaius tells Merlin he's ashamed, he betrayed Merlin, he told a secret he thought he'd keep with his life and he told Alator. As a result Morgana nearly found out who he truly is and Merlin reminds Gaius he almost died and Morgana didn't count on Alator's true loyalties. Gaius tells Merlin they cannot tell Arthur about Agrivaine, they still have no proof. Not long after Arthur knocks on the door and apologies to Gaius, who warns him a wide range of people with different beliefs and skills, who seek to protect him and the kingdom and one day he'll know how much they have done to protect him.**

Percival glances at Gaius. "You had no reason to feel ashamed, you were tortured into giving that information... Morgana herself said the Catha were once known through out the land for their methods of torture."

"I always believed I would die before relieving Merlin's secret," Gaius answers. "If Morgana had found out Merlin's secret... I fear what would have befallen Merlin."

Gwaine grins. "Merlin's right, you really do know how to apologise."

"I didn't even think you knew the meaning of the word sorry." Elyan mutters.

"One of those words Merlin made up." Leon agrees.

"Shut up." Arthur mutters, with a small smile.

"Merlin has done so much for this kingdom," Gwen smiles. "We'll always be in his debt."

Arthur turns to Gaius. "You could have told me about Agrivaine."

"You wouldn't have believed me," Gaius answers. "Your uncle as to dear to you."

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**In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name... Merlin.**

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**In a village far from Camelot, a couple of thirty years are preparing for bed when the sounds of a young mans screams echo through the air. Mary begs her husband, John, not to go, but he must, he's the village elder and it is his duty to protect the village from harm. He goes out into the village and looks for the source of the scream and finds a young man, he's alive but appears dead, his eyes are unseeing and he's unresponsive. Something hisses and moves in the bushes as John calls for them to show themselves. Some time later in Camelot, Mary arrives on Gwen's door step seaking help.**

Isolde frowns slightly. "That screams was the scream of someone young... The scream of a young man. Was something attacking the village?"

Gaius nodes. "A creature that was half human, half serpent."

"Half human, half serpent?" Tristan asks.

"Yes," Gaius answers. "The high priestesses would mix the blood of a young girl and that of a serpent or snake, the resulting creature would drain the life out of their enemies."

"Talk about draining the life out of people." Tristan mutters, as he sees the young man John finds.

"But he wasn't dead." Gwaine poits out.

Arthur glances at Gwen. "How did you know Mary and John?"

Gwen smiles. "They used to live in the lower town, next door to us... When my father was working, Mary would look after Elyan and I, before Elyan started working with our father."

**Gwen helps Mary get a private audience with Arthur and Mary explains there village has been struck with a sickness, it has taken three men already and with out a physician, they can do nothing to stop it. Later Arthur goes and speaks with Gaius, while Merlin treats a man, who has the sweating sickness. Gaius explains, Merlin will have to be sent in his place, much to the surprise of Merlin and Arthur alike. Later that night, Gaius reassures Merlin he is more than capable of doing this. He also reminds Merlin, the whole of Camelot places their lives in his hands ever day, for he alone keeps the fate of the kingdom in the balance. **

"I remember going to the village," Leon mutters. "Then leaving, rescuing the girl from those bandits... Then I remember waking up back in the village... We got the illness didn't we?"

"It wasn't an illness," Gaius explains. "It was the work of a Lamia."

"Lamia... That was the name of the girl we rescued from the bandits." Elyan exclaimed.

Gwaine looks at Gwen. "What happened?"

Gwen shakes her head. "You'll see."

To be honest Gwen didn't know how Arthur would react... She and Merlin had agreed to only tell Arthur, that the knights had been enchanted and nothing else.

"No," Percival mutters. "Something happened... Something to do with Merlin."

Tristan frowns. "What happened?"

"I don't remember... But Merlin wasn't himself for a while after we got back."

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**The following morning, as Merlin packs his things, Gaius appears and gives him his medicine bag. A first Merlin refuses to take it, but Gaius finally convinces him to take it. Merlin, Gwen, Mary, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and Percival ride out to help Mary's village. After traveling for much of the day, they arrive at the village and Merlin is not greeted too kindly. Elyan is quick to stick up for Merlin. Merlin quickly sets about checking the young men effected, as Gwen and John watch. Once Gwen and John have gone, Merlin tries to heal the young men with magic, but it doesn't work and Merlin knows this is no normal illness. Later that night, Merlin hears a noise out side his hut and almost kills Gwaine with a fishing rod.**

Gaius smiles with pride. "Merlin is destined for great things, but he will always have the heart, courage and compassion of a healer... He will always try and save as many people as he can, even if it endangers his life."

"You need to put more faith in Merlin," Isolde speaks. "He has more knowledge than you give him credit for."

Arthur nodes. "I should have listened to him about a great many things... It's almost like he has an instinct for who to trust and who not to trust."

"Merlin knew it was more than just a normal illness because he couldn't heal them with magic, didn't he?" Percival asks.

Gaius nodes. "The spell Merlin cast, would heal any basic non-magical illness... But the only way to save those effect by the Lamia, is to kill the Lamia."

"The mightly Gwaine slain by a fishing rod," Elyan laughs. "Now that would be tale!"

Gwaine grins. "I have no doubt Merlin could kill me... But if I ever do get killed by a fishing rod, don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

Leon shakes his head. "The jokes you and Merlin come up with..."

"I think it's the adventures you have to be more worried about." Percival grins.

**The following morning, Merlin checks the young men but there is no change. He informs John there is no change and tells him there is something at work here that he doesn't understand. John asks if it could be sorcery, Merlin agrees that it could be and John tell him and Gwen he feared as much. The night John found the third young man, he felt a presence and sort of evil in the air. Merlin tells Gwen they have to get back to Gaius, only he'd have the knowledge to tell what was doing this. Merlin, Gwen and the knights quickly head back to Camelot. As they make their way through the woods, Leon spots smoke through the trees and every quickly dismounts and sneak closer. Gwaine spots the bandits tormenting a young women and he and the other knights quick rush to help.**

"I don't remember much after this." Elyan mutters.

Leon nodes. "The last thing I remember was Merlin setting up camp that night."

"The last thing I remember was finding the girl," Percival speaks up. "She didn't like Merlin, she seemed incredibly scared of him."

Gwaine thinks for a moment. "The last thing I remember is Merlin saying Camelot was west not east... Everything after that is a burl, like I was really, really, really drunk."

"You were enchanted," Arthur speaks up. "The creature controlled you... I'm sure nothing too bad happened."

Gwen shifts slightly, she hoped Arthur reaction to Merlin's treatment didn't cause too much trouble.

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**After the knights defeat the bandits, with the help of Merlin who makes a bandit knock themselves out with ttheir own club, Percival holds the girl the bandits had caught in his arms. As Merlin kneels beside her to look at her injuries, she screams as Merlin reaches towards her and tries to back away. After Leon decides they should ride on, they find a place to stop for the night. Merlin offers Lamia some help getting down from the horse, she almost hisses at him and knocks his hand away. Percival shoves Merlin back and tells him to leave her alone. Gwen who witnesses it, tells Merlin he didn't mean it, he's just tied. That night, Percival checks on Lamia to find he crying, as he comforts her, her eyes glow green. As she goes to make her move on Percival, a twig snaps and Percival grabs his sword and turns, only to find Merlin standing there. **

"Merlin really has to teach me that," Gwaine grins, as Merlin makes a bandit knock themselves out with there own weapon. "It would be so useful."

Leon rolls his eyes. "If Merlin teaches you half the spells you want to know, god help us all."

Elyan shakes his head. "Think of all the pranks Gwaine would come up with Merlin's help."

"Did the Lamia know who Merlin is?" Isolde asks.

Gaius nodes. "All creatures of magic will feel Merlin's power."

"So why did she fear him?" Tristan asks.

"Emrys," Taliesin answers. "Is her enemy... High priest were the only men Lamis's could not enchant, but that was not the only reason she was unable to enchant Merlin."

Arthur glares at Percival. "I swear if he was harmed..."

Percival stares at the screen in horror. "I don't remember doing that."

**Back in Camelot, Arthur is speaking with Agrivaine and Gaius and tells them, Gwen, Merlin and the knights should be back by now. Arthur asks Gaius if his work in Camelot is done and Gaius tells him it is, Arthur quickly informs them they leave at first light. The following morning, Arthur, Gaius, Agrivaine and a patrol of knights leave to find Gwen, Merlin and the knights. Elsewhere, Gwen tries to give some food to Lamia, but she just turns away, Gwen leaves the bowl of food near Lamia before going over and sitting by Merlin. As Gwen and Merlin talk Leon tells everyone they are traveling east, Merlin questions this saying Camelot is west. Leon yells at Merlin and tells him he's nothing but a servant, Gwen quickly agrees with Merlin and Elyan just tells her it has nothing to do with her.**

"Agrivaine didn't seem to supportive of the idea of us being in trouble." Gwaine mutters.

Leon thinks for a moment. "Lamia's are created by the high priestesses... Morgana was a high priestess."

"If Morgana had created it, Agrivaine would have known," Elyan mutters. "And would want to stop Arthur saving us."

Percival shakes his head. "No, if it had been Morgana, she would have wanted Arthur to go after, with the hope it would kill him."

Arthur turns and glares at Leon. "You had no right to speak to Merlin like that."

"He has ever right," Tristan mutters. "Many nobles would speak to a servant like that if they spoke out of turn, some would do far worse than just yell."

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**Elsewhere in the forest, Arthur and the others have found the a slave traders camp. Everyone is dead but no body has a mark on them, as they look round they find a survivor and take them with them to be treated. Elsewhere, Gwaine and Leon have a disagreement and Merlin yells at them. But the two soon get into a fight and Percival and Elyan are forced to brake them apart. Leon is injuried much to Merlin annoyance and Lamia just watches on with a smile. Back at the village, Arthur orders his men to speak to everyone to try and work out where Gwen, Merlin and the knights have gone. Gaius informs John Merlin was right, this illness was caused by sorcery. **

"Why did she leave him alive?" Isolde asks.

"I think," Gaius answers. "That she didn't have chance to drain all his life force... I think something made her leave."

"The bandits?" Elyan suggests.

Gaius nodes. "Possibly."

Gwaine and Leon glance at each other, they had never acted like that towards each other before.

"Well," Arthur mutters. "Least Merlin and Gwen were there to try and talk sense into you."

**Back in the wood, Merlin has just stitched up Leon's arm. After Leon walked off, Gwen and Merlin talk and Merlin works out Lamia must be affecting the knights behaviour. Back in the village, Gaius tells Arthur and Agrivaine about what the survivor told him and who their prisoner was. Gaius explains what a Lamia is and Arthur fears what the creature will do if its not killed. Elsewhere Elyan falls prey to the Lamia. The following morning Merlin, Gwen and the knights are woken by the light of the late morning sun and find Elyan missing. Elsewhere Arthur has found their tracks leading east and is quick to follow them, much to the displeasure of Agrivaine. **

"A first," Gwen explains. "I didn't believe it was the girl... But after what she said when Elyan went missing, I knew Merlin was right."

"Merlin's always right." Gwaine grins.

Leon traces the scar on his arm. "I don't even remember having the injury after we returned to Camelot. "

Gaius frowns. "I removed the stitches, the day after we returned to Camelot."

"I really don't remember." Leon mutters.

"How is it, a group of slave traders can notice the Lamia has enchanted them, when a group of knights cannot?" Tristan asks. "Your supposed to be as close as brothers, slave trader working together because their boss tells them to."

Elyan shakes his head. "I don't remember being on watch..."

"Your lucky to be alive." Gaius speaks.

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**Elyan is found and bought back to camp. Gwen quickly tells Merlin it was Lamia who did it, she was sure of it. Merlin tells the knights they have to go back to Camelot and get Gaius's help, but Lamia tells the knights there is a castle not far from where they are and Leon agrees to go there. Merlin and Gwen have little choice but to go with them. As they ride to the castle Lamia spoke of, Merlin and Gwen ride at the back and talk. Merlin tells Gwen Arthur is their only hope now, he must have realised something is wrong, they had been gone too long. Gwen tells Merlin there in the middle of nowhere, Arthur would never find them, so Merlin tells her to give Arthur some help. Elsewhere, Arthur has lost Gwen, Merlin and the knights tracks.**

"How long could Elyan have survived in that state?" Arthur asks.

"Until he died of hunger or of dehydration." Gaius answers.

Gwen shakes her head. "If you hadn't found us Arthur..."

"I'm sure Merlin could have killed her." Tristan mutters.

Arthur smiles slightly. "Merlin not a complete idiot, I taught him to leave a trail if he ever got caught and was able to."

"Merlin has never been a idiot," Percival answers. "He just acts like one."

**Back with the knights, Gwen has torn part of her top and ties it around a tree branch to help lead Arthur to them. The castle comes into view and Merlin knows they're running out of time. Elsewhere Arthur is still looking for their tracks, Agrivaine finds some tracks but quickly covers them. The knights with Lamia enter the castle, as they do so Merlin tries to convince Percival something is wrong, but he just forces Merlin back into a wall and threatens him. As they enter the castle, the torches are blown out, Merlin re lights his torch with magic and they find Lamia gone. They walk deeper into the castle to find the place full of bones. Merlin tries to convince the knights Lamia has led them into a trap, but Percival tells him he's lying, Leon shoves Merlin to the ground and looks ready to kill him.**

"I should have known Agrivaine hide the tracks." Arthur mutters. "His betrayal knows no bounds."

"But how were we so easily enchanted?" Leon asks.

"The group of slave traders were triple your number, " Gaius explains. "And by enchanting them all, the enchanment was weaker and easier for them to brake free of."

Arthur turns and glares at Percival. "You better prey threatening Merlin was the worst you did."

"I don't remember doing that." Percival defends himself.

Isolde gasps as she sees the bones. "How did you not work out it was a trap then."

Arthur spins to face Leon. "How could you do that?"

"I'm sorry." Leon mutters. "I don't even remember doing it."

"You looked like you were about to kill him!" Arthur explains.

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**Elsewhere, Arthur finds the trail Gwen and Merlin left. Back at the castle, Leon and Percival leave to try and find Lamia while Gwaine makes a fire. Gwaine goes off to find more fire wood, but not before almost setting fire to Merlin as he swings the torch past his face. Gwaine searches for fire wood, but elsewhere Leon and Percival get separated. Gwen knows if they don't get help soon Elyan will die and Merlin knows he must do something or they'll all die. Gwen then works out Lamia doesn't like Merlin and looks at him like he's the enemy. As a scream echoes through the castle, Merlin goes to investigate. **

"So that's why Agrivaine didn't want you to find us," Gwen mutters. "It was because I was with you."

Arthur nodes. "It's possible."

"I believe it may have been to do with Merlin also," Gaius speaks up. "Agrivaine knew Merlin knew he was the tratior."

Arthur turns to face Gwaine. "If he had been hurt..."

Gwaine nodes. "I have to say, I have never seen Merlin back down so fast."

Arthur glares at Gwaine, before turning to Gaius. "I'm sure, even though he ducked back, the fire caught him."

"It's possible it did," Gaius answers. "But non-magical flames won't harm Merlin, his magic and his abilities as a dragon lord stop him from beging burnt or harmed."

Tristan thinks for a moment. "Why wasn't it just his magic that protected him? John didn't fall under her spell and he was a man."

"Love." Gaius answers.

"What?" Isolde asks.

"John loves his wife more than the world itself," Gaius answers. "Lamia's can not enchant men who's hearts belong to another... Merlin has and always will love Freya."

**Merlin makes his way through the castle and finds Gwaine, but the Lamia had got to him first. Elsewhere Arthur finds Gwen and Merlin's trail and quickly follows it. Back in the castle Merlin is still looking for Leon and Percival. Arthur finally spots the castle. Back at the castle Percival falls victim to the Lamia, but Leon sees her and finally works out Merlin was right. As Leon charges at her, he's knocked out. Merlin appears and quickly challenges the Lamia, hoping to get it away from Leon and Percival. Merlin is thrown back by the Lamia, but he quickly uses magic to send her flying backwards and checks on Percival and Leon. But as he does the Lamia rises in serpent form.**

"It's a miracle you all survived," Gaius speaks. "You are incredibly lucky."

"I'm glad you found the trail Arthur." Gwen smiles. "Merlin thought we started it too late... For a while I thought we had."

"I promise I'll always find you." Arthur grips Gwen's hand.

"Merlin shouldn't have done that," Gwen mutters. "He shouldn't have challenged her like that."

"He had no choice," Leon mutters. "If he didn't, we would have all been killed."

"I killed it." Arthur points out.

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**Merlin quickly traps the Lamia in the room, by collapsing the ceiling, before running to find Gwen. The two of them quicly run, but the Lamia grabs Merlin's leg. Gwen charges at the Lamia with Elyans sword and the two of them move back across the floor on their backs. Suddenly Arthur appears behind it and kills it. Gwen runs and embraces Arthur, who after hugging Gwen helps Merlin to his feet. Back in the village, the knights are recovering and Arthur teases Merlin about being saved by a girl, but as always Merlin has the last laugh. Back in Camelot Arthur and Gwen have a close moment.**

Isolde shakes her head. "How you survive these things..."

Gwaine grins. "I like to think it's down to our awesome skills as knights."

"And Merlin's magic." Tristan mutters.

"You did well Gwen," Elyan mutters. "Not many women would be that brave."

"Merlin would have done the same for me," Gwen answers. "And Merlin is my friend."

Elyan smiles slightly. "Everyone seems to forget about Merlin."

"I think it's becuase everyone knows Merlin is always okay." Percival mutters. "I never seen him hurt after fight or in pain."

Gwaine grins at Arthur. "Merlin's right, don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself."

"Shut up, Gwaine."

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**Hey, hoped you liked that chapter.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	51. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty: What are friends for? Part one.

Dawn light slipped through the open window and Freya watched the partials of dust dance in its light. Beside her, Merlin was still asleep and Freya smiled, she still believed any moment she would wake up and find this was all a dream. That she would still be in Avalon, watching the mortal world from her scrying bowl and hoping she'd be able to see Merlin one more time. Beside her Merlin shifts.

"Morning, beautiful." Merlin greets her, voice still heavy with sleep.

Freya blushes. "Morning, my love."

Merlin smiles as he forces himself to sit up. "It's lovely and quiet this morning... It times like this I don't miss working as Arthur's servant."

"I'm sure you got days off." Freya smiles.

"A day off?" Merlin snorts. "What's a day off?"

"Arthur must have given you a day of at some point!" Freya exclaimed.

Merlin snorts. "I don't remember being given a day of unless I was ill or injured."

"What he never gave a you a holiday or time off to visit your mother?"

"Holiday! Arthur doesn't know the meaning of the world... As for visiting my mother, I would leave before dawn and leave a note telling Gaius where I had gone."

Freya shakes her head. "I bet Arthur hated that."

"He did, the moment I got back he'd make me muck out the stables!" Merlin grins. "But I was never gone more than a week."

Freya shakes her head. "I'm sure he was worried about you."

Merlin rolled his eyes slightly. "He asked Gaius, he knew where I was."

"Just because someone knows where you are, doesn't mean it stops them worrying." Freya answers.

Merlin glanced at her. "Arthur wasn't worried, he was just annoyed he had to put up with a bootlicker for a week."

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Hunith smiled, as she saw Merlin and Freya walk through the door to the physicians chamber. Alice had already gone out, to make her rounds of the town and to collect something from the druids.

"Morning mother," Merlin smiles. "You don't mind if we join you for breakfast?"

"My boy," Hunith smiled. "You never have to asks, you'll always be welcome."

Merlin and Freya quickly sat down at the table, as Hunith dishes up the porridge she just made. As she sat down she glanced at hed son and Freya, they didn't seem the slightest bit nervous.

"Are you not nervous?" Hunith finally asks. "Your druid wedding is tomorrow!"

Freya shakes her head. "I not nervous... Merlin and I are already married."

"I'm glad the druids decided to do a wedding," Merlin smiled. "When Freya and I married in Avalon, we had no family or friends there... It was..."

"Lonely." Freya mutters. "No wedding is complete with out a family celebration."

Hunith smiled. "Well then you have all the more to look forward to."

"I just wish Gaius would be able to attend, but he busy in Camelot no doubt." Merlin sighs.

"You could invite him," Hunith points out. "I'm sure he'd give up work for the day to attended."

Merlin thinks for moment. "He's in Camelot, mother, I don't think he'd be up to traveling with the aid of magic... It really does make your stomach turn, if your not used to it."

"But it wouldn't hurt to ask would it?" Freya asks, she knew how much Merlin cared about Gaius... He was the closest person to a father Merlin had, had most of his life.

"I guess not," Merlin replies. "I hope he'll be able to come."

"I'm sure he will, my boy." Hunith answers.

Freya thinks for a moment. "What about Arthur? Gwen? And the others? Are you going to invite them?"

Before Merlin had a chance to answer, the door to their room burst open.

"Merlin, sir," The young guard speaks. "You are needed in the council hall right away, sir."

"So much for a lovely and quite morning." Merlin mutters, darkly, finishing his porridge in a matter of seconds and heading out the door with a quick kiss from Freya and a motherly hug from his mother.

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The council hall was a mass of people, Merlin was sure this many people hadn't been present at the last council meeting. As he made his way through the mass of people, he noticed their were children present and glancing round he noticed most of the people weren't members of the council, but in fact people from the outlying villages. Suddenly Merlin was pulled to the left and found himself standing in front of the head councilman, who didn't look too happy.

"What's this about?" Merlin asks, as it became clear the head councilman wasn't going to speak anytime soon, he seemed to lost in his own thought.

"The outlying villages to the east have been attacked," The head councilman speaks. "It yet unclear who attacked them, but I fear it was King Sarrum men."

"King Sarrum?" Merlin asks, with a slight frown. "He hasn't signed the treaty with King Arthur yet."

The head councilman nodes. "You are correct, no treaty has been signed."

"So why do you fear its King Sarrum's men responsible for the attacks?" Merlin asks.

"Those who have survived, have stated those who attacked them were wearing the colours of Amata." The councilman answers. "But nobody saw any crests or marking of any kind, to indicate where they came from."

Merlin nodes. "It could be Mordred trying to trick us into fighting on two fronts."

"It is possible." The head councilman agrees.

"Well," Merlin mutters. "I take a patrol out and see what we can find."

The councilman shakes his head. "That wouldn't be wise, you are king of the druids you can not afford to be killed."

"As long as they don't have a hallows sword I should be fine." Merlin points out.

"Just because you are immortal, does not mean you can't be killed."

"What?"

"You are not the living dead," The head councilman explains. "You can be killed, you just don't stay dead... You can suffer injuries and you can still feel pain. Your immortality does not make you unkillable."

"So what your saying is," Merlin questions. "Is if I'm killed by a mortal weapon I will die?"

"Yes and no, you will enter a coma like state, heal and return to life, so to speak. You are different to any immortal you have ever faced before. You are not dead, but you are not alive, you are magic and magic can never be destroyed."

"Right," Merlin answers. "That made no sense. So basically is if I get wounded mortally, I will enter a coma like state until I've healed."

"Yes," The head councilman answers. "But you will have the appearance of being dead."

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Merlin adjusted the saddle on his horse, reading it for patrol. He was hoping to ride Zafira, but she was still tracking Jared and he didn't want to be in dark, regarding anything Jared may be planning. He was still trying to get his head around what the head councilman had fold him. He had known he was a creature of magic and a being of pure magic, but to find out he was neither alive or dead, was a bit of a shock. But it shouldn't have been a surprise really, magic is an energy; an energy that gives life to other things, but just wasn't alive itself.

"Morning Merlin." Gilli calls out. "Lovely morning for a patrol isn't it?"

Merlin rolls his eyes. "As long as it doesn't rain."

"And if it does rain, you can just use magic to stop it." Gilli grins.

"The land needs the rain to survive," Kara speaks up, joining them. "If you were to stop the rain, just because you didn't like it, it would do a lot of damage to plant life."

Gilli turns to face Kara. "I'm sure shopping the rain for one patrol wouldn't do that much damage."

"Wouldn't it?" Kara challenges.

"So where are we going?" Tyr speaks up, before Gilli and Kara can argue. "I was simply given a message sating I was needed for patrol."

"We are heading for the eastern borders, or so I was told." Bercilak answers, stopping next Gilli before Merlin had a chance to answer.

"The eastern borders?" Sefa asks, leading her horse towards the group. "I heard some outlying villages were attacked."

Eira appears beside Merlin. "The outlying villages along the eastern border were attacked, Sefa, I was helping with the survivors... They said those who attacked them wore Amata colours'."

"What! I got up at this ungodly hour, just to try and not get caught by King Sarrum's men!" Gilli complains.

"It's mid morning, Gilli," Merlin points out. "Plus you didn't have to come, I only asked for help, I didn't force you too."

"What are friends for?" Gilli answers. "Your my friend, you asked for help. What sort of friend would I be is I said no?"

"Sorry I'm late," Daegal runs towards them, leading his horse. "I had to hunt down a couple of medical supplies and I took longer than I expected."

Merlin grins. "Well lets go, the sooner this is sorted, the sooner we can bet back and rest."

"WAIT!" A voice yells.

Merlin turns to find Freya leading her horse towards them.

"Freya, I thought you were going to investigate the sickness." Merlin speaks.

"I am," Freya answers, giving Merlin a kiss on the check. "The villages are not far from were you are traveling to."

Merlin grins. "Well then, my lady, it would be an honour to have you travel with us."

"Thank you, my lord, the honour is mine." Freya laughs.

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"What do we do if it is King Sarrum's men?" Eira suddenly asks, as they travel through the forest.

Merlin shrugs. "We don't even know if it is King Sarrum's men, but if it's his men anything we do, will more than likely start a war."

"But we can't just let them attack our kingdom!" Gilli exclaimed. "What they are doing is an act of war!"

"I know," Merlin answers. "But we cannot afford to fight a war on two fronts, it will spread our army too thin... Anything we do here, if it is King Sarrum's men, will more than likely start a war, no matter how peacefully we deal with it."

"Talk about a win, win situation." Eira mutters sarcastically.

Bercilak chuckles slightly. "So there's no right way to deal with this?"

"There is always a right and wrong way of doing anything," Merlin answers. "But no matter what we do in the eyes of Sarrum, we'll always be doing wrong."

"King Sarrum's hatred of magic is strong, he'll never see the good magic can do." Freya agrees with Merlin.

"So what should we do?" Tyr asks.

Merlin thinks for a moment. "Killing them has to be the last resort..."

"Warning and letting them go would never work." Daegal adds.

"So what else can we go?" Kara asks.

"Send them back to Amata," Freya answers. "That way, they won't be able to attack us again and they'll still be alive."

"There could be up to a hundred of them," Bercilak points out. "Even if you and Merlin cast the spell together, there's a chance it won't work or could go wrong."

"Well that takes capturing them out of the picture, we'd never be able to catch a hundred people and hold them prisoner." Gilli mutters.

Merlin sighs. "We don't even know if it's King Sarrum's men for sure yet... This could just be a scheme drawn up by Mordred."

"Mordred doesn't have men working for him." Eira points out.

"No," Merlin agrees. "Which means, we might not be up against men... Many creatures in Mordred army can change what they look like and that would explain why nobody saw any crests or marking indicating their King Sarrum's men."

Gilli grins. "This day just gets better and better... That information has just made my day."

"It's by sole aim in life," Merlin snorts. "After all 'what are friends for'?"

Gilli glares at Merlin, before grinning once more. "Nothing can be harder to kill than change-wings."

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**Hey hope you liked that chapter. Next up is Lancelot du Lac, herald of the new age and the hunters heart.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	52. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-one: Lancelot du Lac, herald of the new age and the hunter's heart.

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.

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**Agravaine walks through the castle towards the kings' chamber, upon entering he finds Merlin cleaning the kings armour and Arthur standing by the window overlooking the courtyard. Arthur informs Agravaine he is going to marry Gwen, if she says yes, much to the surprise of Merlin and the displeasure of Agravaine. Some time later Agravaine goes to Morgana's hovel and informs her of Arthur plan to marry Gwen. Morgana quickly informs him there is someone who can come between them... Someone who can destroy Gwen. Later in the early hours of the morning, Morgana enters a cave in search of Dochraid. Morgana asks Dochraid how to use a gift her sister, Morgause, gave her before she died... The gift of a soul.**

"I agree," Gwaine grins. "Agravaine has way to much stubble to be your wife."

Percival glances at Arthur. "Why didn't you tell Merlin about your plan to marry Gwen?"

"I didn't think Merlin was good at keeping secrets," Arthur answers. "I didn't think he could keep a secret to save his life."

"Why did that... Creature, tell Morgana she was destined to bring back the ways of the old religion?" Elyan asks.

"Because," Taliesin answers. "That is what she was destined to do."

"But isn't that what Arthur supposed to do?" Leon asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "Emrys and the once and future king are destined to unite the old ways with the new ways, they are to unite the old religion with the new. Morgana was destined to bring back the old religion and destroy the new."

**After Dochraid tells Morgana how to use the price of a soul, Morgana travels to the last of the five gateways, which separate this realm from the realm of the dead. She arrives of the banks of the pool of Nemhain, but doesn't stop walking and finally stops when the water reaches her waist. She casts the coin into the water and only a minute later a man rises from the water and walks towards Morgana before bowing to her. The man is Lancelot. Morgan explains to Lancelot what she wants him to do. Elsewhere Arthur sneaks up on Gwen and covers her eyes. Arthur leads Gwen back to her house where, he removes the cloth from her eyes. Gwen opens her eyes to find her house full of candles, Arthur proposes to Gwen, who just hugs him almost crying and tells him yes. Merlin watches with a smile from the window.**

"Dark magic." Gaius mutters.

Everyone looks horrified as Lancelot rises from the water, Arthur and the knights horror quickly turns to anger.

Tristan shakes his head. "She really did hate you, didn't she?"

Arthur glares at the screen. "We should have known... People don't come back from the dead, without the aid of sorcery."

"I knew there was something off with him, when be returned," Percival admits. "But I simply believed it was due to the ordeal he had gone through, not because he had been bought back as Morgana's puppet."

Elyan nodes. "Lancelot was a man of honour... He would never have thought about betraying Arthur, in the way he did."

"Morgana really doesn't have a limit to what she'll do to make Camelot fall," Leon mutters. "She do anything to destroy the lives of the people she once cared for."

Isolde smiles at Gwen. "Least Arthur made an effort."

"More like Merlin came up with the idea," Gwen laughs. "Arthur is quiet hopeless when it comes to romance."

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**Agravaine enters Morgana's hovel and asks Morgana how Lancelot is doing. Morgana informs him, he'll soon know enough to fool everyone that he is the real Lancelot not just a shade. The following day in Camelot, Gwen sits next to Agravaine ****in the royal stand, as a jousting contest is held in her honour. After Arthur joists and gives Gwen the hop wrapped in ribbon, he and Merlin talk and watch as the other knights joust and give Gwen a hop covered in ribbons. Suddenly an unknown knight enters the contest and as he gives Gwen a hop covered in ribbons he relieves who he is, much to the surprise of everyone but Agravaine, who just smirks. Later that night, Arthur holds a meal for Lancelot, only, Agravaine, Gwen, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and Percival dine with him, while Merlin serves. Lancelot explains what happened and how he returned to Camelot.**

"Well Morgana most certainly taught him well," Tristan mutters. "He fooled all of you... Although you looked a bit disbelieving, Elyan."

Elyan nodes. "There was just something that didn't seem right, his route back to Camelot just didn't seem to add up... I just had a feeling something wasn't right."

"You sound like Merlin," Gwaine grins. "He's always getting feelings about things."

Percival thinks for a moment. "The route he took, I know the route... it was a route I took fleeing Cenred's men after my family were killed. Traveling the way he said he was, should have taken him much longer than it did."

"So if we had just thought about, we would have known something was wrong." Leon sighs.

"Merlin worked it out though," Arthur mutters. "He and Lancelot were close, but after Lancelot's return, they seemed quite distant... Almost like strangers."

"If Merlin knew why didn't he stop Morgana's plan?" Isolde asks.

Gaius speaks up. "Merlin didn't know what Morgana's plan was until it was too late to stop it... He really did try to stop the shade, he just wasn't quick enough."

**Later that night, Merlin lets Lancelot use his room and Merlin tells Lancelot he could have used magic to save him he would have. But Lancelot just tells him, if any of them had magic, it make life a lot easier. Merlin returns to the main chamber and Gaius knows something's up. Merlin tells him, he wants to believe everything is fine and that they really have Lancelot back, but something's wrong. Merlin quickly explains, that the way Lancelot spoke the way he greeted him made him suspicious, but**** Lancelot not remembering his magic has made him sure it's not the real Lancelot. Gaius tells Merlin its strange, but to give Lancelot some time, he'd been though a lot. Elsewhere Agravaine rides to see Morgana, he tells Morgana he fears Gwen truly does love Arthur and all feelings Gwen had for Lancelot are in the past. Morgana tells Agravaine she thought this would happen and enchants a bracelet to be given to Gwen.**

"So that's how Merlin knew," Leon mutters. "Lancelot didn't remember Merlin had magic."

Gwaine grins slightly. "That's not something you'd forget in a hurry."

Elyan nodes. "It also explains why Merlin couldn't tell anyone but Gaius... He only knew because of magic."

"Did you believe there was something different about Lancelot?" Arthur asks Gaius.

Gaius shakes his head. "Lancelot and I were not close, not close enough for me to notice any difference like Merlin did... I only knew it wasn't the real Lancelot because once you cross through the veil you do not return."

"That bracelet!" Gwen exclaimed. "That's the bracelet Lancelot gave me."

"What did the enchantment Morgana placed on it do?" Arthur asks, suddenly worried for Gwen's health.

"It awakens old feelings and makes them stronger," Taliesin explains. "Such an enchantment would have returned the feelings Gwen once had for Lancelot and make them so strong they were the only things she could think about."

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**The following morning, Gwen is brushing her hair as she prepares for the day. There's a knock at the door and Gwen is quick to answer it. Upon opening the door Gwen finds Lancelot standing there, who wasn't sure he'd find her still living there. Gwen quickly explains she wanted to stay in her home for as long as she could before she had to over into the castle with Arthur. After letting Lancelot in, Gwen thanks him for what he did on the isle of the blessed, he protected Arthur just like she asked. Lancelot gives the Gwen the bracelet, a quick kiss on the forehead and wished her and Arthur ever lasting happiness. Back in the physician chamber, Merlin is sitting on a bed behind a screen reading a book and knows what ever made Lancelot return was indeed dark magic.**

"I'm sorry," Arthur speaks taking Gwen's hand. "I knew you would never betray me, willingly... But I was just so angry, I was for a long time after and with my uncle always reminding me about it and how I had to marry for the good of the kingdom... I could never let myself forgive."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "How could you have possibly known Morgana would do something like this? She hated you. You were king and the only person stooping her from taking the throne."

"Which is why I should have known she try and come between us," Arthur answers. "If I had died you would have ruled in my stead."

"All that matters," Isolde quickly speaks up. "Is that you are together now and you know the truth."

Tristan speaks up suddenly. "You promised Gwen, when you were king you'd be together and at first you said you had to marry for the good of the kingdom. And after Gwen's father was killed, you promised her home would always be safe and she would never have to leave Camelot and yet you banished her."

Gwaine glances at Tristan. "How do you know Gwen was banished?"

"We meet Gwen at Merlin's home village and it's quite clear Gwen going to betray Arthur, due to Morgana's bracelet, and with Agravaine being close to Arthur he's going to find out." Tristan answers.

**Later that morning the jousting continues and Gwen and Agravaine once again watch from the royal stand, as the day wears on, it's quite clear the enchantment is beginning to affect Gwen and Agravaine notices with a smirk. That night as Gaius and Merlin sit eating, Merlin compliments Gaius cooking, before asking Gaius what he knew about necromancy. Gaius stops eating and warns Merlin necromancy is one of the darkest and most dangerous forms of magic and even in the days of the old religion it was hardly used. After Gaius asks Merlin why he wanted to know, Merlin tells him he thinks someone may have risen Lancelot from the dead and Gaius knows Merlin means Morgana. Gaius tells Merlin it is possible Morgana could have done so, but they'll have no way of knowing. Merlin quickly pulls a book on necromancy from under the table, Merlin and Gaius share a knowing look.**

"I wish I had never accepted that cursed bracelet from Lancelot," Gwen mutters. "But to have refused it would have been rude, after everything he had done and sacrificed for Camelot, Arthur and myself."

Isolde grips Gwen's arm in comfort. "You were not to know the bracelet was enchanted."

"I betrayed Arthur."

"It wasn't your fault," Gaius speaks up. "Many wouldn't have been able to battle such a strong enchantment for a long as you need. Many would have fallen prey to enchantment straight away."

"But I betrayed Arthur, I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"Guinevere," Arthur speaks taking both her hands in his own. "It wasn't you fault. You were enchanted Gwen, I should have known you'd never betray be willingly. But I was so angry..."

"I'm sorry." Gwen mutter, placing one of her hands to Arthur cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Arthur smiled softly. "It wasn't your fault and I'll never blame you for what happened that day."

"You told Gwen when you became king you'd be able to be together, but once you were king you told her you could no longer be together," Tristan suddenly speaks up. "And you banished her, when you told her, after her father died, that her home would always be safe and she'd never have to leave Camelot."

Arthur bows his head slightly. "I really am sorry for banishing you, Guinevere."

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**The following morning Merlin draws a strange circle shape on the floor, with grey paint and enchants it. Hearing a noise from the room Lancelot is staying in, Merlin gets up and looks though the crack in the door. Seeing Lancelot is about to leave, Merlin wakes Gaius up and they quickly find a place to hide. Lancelot leaves the room he's staying in and walks through the circle, as he walks through the circle a scream sounds and he becomes slightly transparent. Once he's gone, Merlin and Gaius leave there hiding place and Merlin tells Gaius he had wished he'd been wrong about Lancelot. Gaius tells him they'd all wished it was the real Lancelot, but he was a shade and what ever reason he was back, it couldn't be good. Back at the jousting, Gwen makes her way through the tents and quickly enters Lancelot tent when no ones looking. Lancelot asks her shouldn't she be wishing her future husband luck, this seems to break Gwen out of her trance and she quickly leaves.**

"Why was Lancelot staying in Merlin's room?" Tristan suddenly asks. "I can understand why the guests rooms were full, but didn't he have a room in castle when he was a knight?"

"He did," Leon answers. "But a new knight took Lancelot place and his chambers became someone else's."

"So why couldn't he have shared with one of the other knights?" Tristan asks. "Why was the only offer he get come from a servant?"

All the knights glance at each other, they had all been so happy at Lancelot's return none of them had even thought to offer Lancelot a place to stay until Arthur had found him a room.

Gwaine glances at Gaius. "Where did Merlin get the book on necromancy from?"

"I believe he got it from the secret room in the library, that has a wide range of magic books," Gaius replies. "But not all of them are nice magic."

"Would Merlin ever practice necromancy?" Percival suddenly asks. "I mean he's lost a lot of people he loved and cared about."

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin would only ever practice necromancy if there was no way to save someone. He used necromancy when Nimueh killed me on the isle of the blessed... He traded Nimueh's life for mine."

"He thought Lancelot was sent to kill me," Arthur mutters. "But he had the perfect chance at the joust but he didn't."

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**As jousting continues, Merlin watches Lancelot carefully. Arthur joists against Leon and wins and Percival mistaking Merlin expression for worry about Arthur, tells him not to worry, Arthur won. But that's what Merlin worried about he's now in the final against Lancelot and it would be the perfect time for Lancelot to kill Arthur, if that was what he had been sent to do. As Lancelot and Arthur joust, Arthur is injured in the first round, much to the worry of Gwen and as the second round starts, Lancelot yields, knowing Arthur is injured. Merlin and Gaius are both confused, Lancelot just had the perfect chance to kill Arthur, so now they have no idea what Morgan as plan was and had no idea how to stop it. As Merlin and Gaius talk, Merlin sees Gwen enter Lancelot's tent. In Lancelot's tent, Gwen is once again being controlled by the enchantment.**

"If you and Merlin had worked Morgana's plan out, would you have been able to stop it?" Leon asks.

Gaius thinks for a moment. "We possibly could have, but shades are hard to kill and I don't believe Merlin would have been able to kill Lancelot even if he was a shade working for Morgana."

"What about the bracelet?" Elyan asks. "If you had removed it, wouldn't that have worked?"

"It could have... But removing it from Gwen wrist would have been hard." Gaius answers.

Gwaine suddenly speaks up. "If Gwen and Merlin had been in close contact with each other, would Merlin have been able to sense the magic like he did with the eye of the phoenix?"

"I couldn't say," Gaius answers. "The enchantment was strong, but the bracelet itself had no magic... The eye of the phoenix was an object of magic, not an enchanted trinket."

"Morgana did mores than break your heart, Arthur, she destroyed everything the knights stood for and made the crown look bad." Percival speaks up.

Arthur nodes. "She knew what she was doing and she did it well."

**Later that night, Lancelot is walking through the castle, with a sword and Merlin follows him. He sees Lancelot meet with Agravaine and hears Gwen is part of their plan,**** the two part ways and Merlin is forced to hide. Elsewhere Gwen is sneaking through the castle, Merlin continues to follow Lancelot and uses magic to throw him along the corridor, but as he approaches Lancelot, his eyes snap open and Lancelot once again gets to his feet. Lancelot knocks Merlin out, elsewhere Agravaine enters Arthur's chamber and wakes him up, telling him there is something he must see. In the council chamber Gwen meets with Lancelot. Arthur and Agravaine are making their way towards the council chamber and Merlin has just regained consciousness. As Gwen and Lancelot kiss, Arthur arrives in the council hall with Agravaine at the same time Merlin does. As Lancelot and Arthur begin to fight, Gwen steps between them. Gwen and Lancelot are both thrown in the dungeons and Gwen pulls the bracelet from her wrist and throws it at the wall, before crying into her hands.**

"He couldn't have done anything could he?" Elyan mutters. "He found out their plan too late."

Gaius nodes. "He may have been able to stop it if he knew more about shade magic, but even then it may not have worked."

"Why didn't Merlin's magic work on him? Lancelot was thrown from one end of the corridor to the other and it did nothing!" Leon asks.

"Shades," Gaius explains. "Like wraiths and the immortal army, are not living. So mortal magic will not stop them."

"But Lancelot killed himself with poison." Percival points out. "If he was immortal, why did it kill him?"

Taliesin answers this time. "Because his purpose had been achieved. He was bought back as a shade to destroy the love between Gwen and Arthur, all Morgana had to do was command him to return to the spirit world and he would."

"So why use poison?" Gwaine asks.

"Because it had to look convincing," Arthur answers, working it out. "If he just died it would have looked suspicious."

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**Later that night, Agravaine tries to convince Arthur to execute Gwen and kill Lancelot painfully, Merlin simply glares at Agravaine and knows if he had worked out Morgana's plan sooner none of this would have happened. The following day Arthur banishes Gwen from Camelot, he has until dawn the following day to leave. But not before dismissing the court and talking to her. Back in the physician chamber, Merlin tells Gaius this was Morgana's plan all along and that they had to make Arthur see Lancelot was a shade. Gaius tells Merlin it'll make no difference, it was Gwen's betrayal that hurt Arthur the most and knowing about Lancelot won't change that, it was Gwen who must pay the price. Down in the dungeons, Agravaine enters Lancelot's cell and gives him a message from Morgana.**

"I wonder if you really are worthy of someone like Gwen," Tristan suddenly mutters. "Gwen waited for you, for years she stood by you and waited and in that time she watched you declare your love for Vivian, she suffered as you refused to admit your feelings for her, she watched you almost marry Elena, she was almost burnt at the stake because she loves you, you even broke her heart when you told her you couldn't marry her now you are king... And she kisses Lancelot the night before your wedding, due to an enchantment, and you banish her. No one could deny the love Gwen clearly feels for you and yet you destroyed her life over one simple mistake."

Arthur bows his head. "I'm sorry Guinevere... I was just so angry, I was for a long time after that night."

Gwen nodes not trusting herself to speak, seeing this again made it feel like she was reliving it and her emotions couldn't take it. She goes to wipe the tears from her cheek, but Arthur beats her to it. Gwen gives him a watery smile, even her brother had turned her back on her that day, he had offered her no support... The only person who had offered her any sort of comfort was Merlin.

"He killed himself," Arthur mutters. "But he didn't use poison did he?"

Gaius shakes his head. "I only said he did use poison in the report you ordered... Because that is the conclusion that matched the way he died, he had no physical injuries and I couldn't find any proof that he was a shade, other than to use magic."

**The following morning Gwen leaves her house for the last time, all her things on the back of a small wagon and not far from her house Merlin is waiting for her. Gwen notices Merlin and he gets to his feet, neither of them say a word, as Gwen makes her way out of the city. Back in the castle all the wedding decoration are being taken down, as Arthur just watches. Merlin suddenly appears behind him and they talk, Merlin tells Arthur Gwen is a good person and Arthur agree****s. Merlin asks Arthur, if he can find it in his heart to forgive her, Arthur tells Merlin that's not the problem... He just can't trust Gwen anymore. Agravaine appears with a couple of guards and informs him Lancelot is dead, at Gaius's chambers, Gaius informs Arthur Lancelot took his own life and Arthur orders them to give Lancelot a proper burial. And so Merlin takes Lancelot's body to the lake of Avalon and places him on a boat, but before he pushes the boat out onto the water, he releases Lancelot from Morgana's power and Lancelot comes back to life, just long enough for him to say thank you. Merlin pushes the boat out on to the water and uses a wordless spell to set it on fire, Lancelot could finally rest in peace.**

"Merlin is truly a friend," Gwen smiles. "He's always stood by me and helped in anyway he can... It was a great comfort that day, to know he still valued me as a friend, even after what I had done. I knew Merlin hadn't turned his back on me and still thought of me as a friend and not some traitor like so many others called me."

Elyan shakes his head. "I should have been there... You're my sister and I didn't even say good-bye."

"You are a knight, your loyalty came to the crown before anything else," Gwen answers. "If you had stood with me, you would have been banished with me."

"But you were alone... Anything could have happened to you Gwen." Elyan replies.

Gwen grips her brothers hand. "I'm alive, you don't have to worry about it."

"Something happened," Leon suddenly spoke up. "While you were banished, something happened."

Gwen placed a hand over he leg were she had been shot with the arrow, she was sure she'd been hit but when she woke up there had been no wound... Only a scar. "I wouldn't be alive now, if Merlin hadn't found."

Before anyone has a chance to reply, Isolde speaks up. "Why did Lancelot come back to life, when Merlin cast that spell."

"He released Morgana's hold on him," Taliesin informs her. "He allowed Lancelot's spirit to rest in peace, free of the dark magic which bought him back."

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man, his name... Merlin.

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**Merlin, Arthur and the knights are out on patrol and have stopped for a moment. The other knights tease Elyan, who has no water left, as they pass a full water skin between them, but not giving it to Elyan. Arthur notices movement through the tress and quickly tells them to be quite, they all make there way through the trees. They step out of the trees and into the centre of a shrine, Merlin warns them its a shrine and in the days of the old religion they were made to appease restless spirits. Gwaine seeing Merlin nervous, jumps out on him and Merlin warns them the place is cursed. As they leave, Elyan hears running water, he follows the sound and finds a small well. He smiles and drinks from it, but as he look down he sees an image of a boy in the water. Elyan is quick to leave. Back in Camelot, Merlin asks Arthur if he's okay, he'd been quite since they left the shrine. Arthur tells Merlin he was thinking and leaves. Gwaine throws Merlin a bag of salt and tells Merlin a circle of salt at the base of his bed will protect him from spirits and Merlin quite clearly doesn't believe him.**

"You didn't tell Merlin about the shrines, did you?" Gwaine asks.

"Merlin," Gaius answers. "Is king of the druids, he is learned in druid law. That was a druid shrine, he knew about it because he himself has placed blessings at shrines like it, in the past."

"So he said you told him so it wouldn't look like he knew out of his own interest." Percival mutters.

Gaius nodes. "Knowing too much about magic and the ways of the old religion would raise suspicion."

"Was the place really cursed?" Leon asks.

"Not a curse as such," Gaius answers. "But restless spirits are more than capable of hexing you."

"Hexing?" Elyan asks.

"It's a form of cursing." Gaius explains.

Arthur rolls his eyes at Gwaine. "A circle of salt? Everyone knows that's a myth."

"It was only a joke," Gwaine shrugs. "Plus Merlin didn't believe me."

**Later that night, Merlin sits with Gaius at the table, as they eat, they talk about the shrine and Merlin tells Gaius it was cursed, he could feel it. Gaius asks Merlin if anyone disturbed the shrine and Merlin tells him no one did, knowing if anyone did the risked releasing the spirits. Elsewhere Arthur is thinking as he spins the spoon in his stew. In Elyan's chamber, Elyan has just blown out the candle and is about to go to sleep, when he hears a noise. He gets up and looks around his room, he goes back to bed, but as he lies down, he sees the druid boy from the shrine and falls backwards out of bed. Gwaine who's passing down the corridor next to his room hears his cries and goes to investigate. As Gwaine kneels before him, Elyan once again sees the druid boy, who tells him to be quite. He quickly convinces Gwaine he fine and Gwaine, who isn't convinced leaves. Once Gwaine has gone, Elyan makes a circle of salt at the foot of his bed.**

"You are lucky the spirit you released was only that of a child," Gaius suddenly speaks up. "If it had been that of an older druid wanting revenge, all of Camelot could have been in danger."

"I thought the druids were a peaceful people. They have never once attacked Camelot." Leon points out.

"There is a reason not even the druids enter such shrines after they have been blessed," Gaius answers. "Restless spirits are far from peaceful."

Elyan shivers as he sees the druid boy standing in his room. "What happened to him that made his soul twisted?"

"You don't remember anything?" Arthur asks, being sure Elyan would have remembered what he said to the druid boy.

Elyan shakes his head. "After Merlin helped me escape, I don't remember anything."

"And that is quite understandable," Gaius explains. "You had been possessed."

"Somehow," Tristan speaks up. "I don't think a circle of salt is going to help."

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**The following morning, Merlin wakes Arthur up, who has fallen asleep at the table and right in the middle of his plate of stew. Once Merlin has woken Arthur up, he asks what he was doing sleeping with his head on the table and Arthur answers, he fell asleep while reading. After asking Arthur what he was reading, Arthur tells him he is the king and doesn't have to answer to the likes of him and Merlin tells him he must have got up on the wrong side of table that morning. After Merlin goes to get Arthur some breakfast, Arthur uses a plate as a mirror and sees his face and hair covered in stew. Later at training, the knights asks why Arthur has stew in his hair and Merlin answers because he was reading. And Arthur gets revenge by making Merlin the target dummy. When its Elyan turn, he seems to go into a trance whilst attacking Merlin a d the others have to pull him back. Later when everyone has finished practice, Elyan sees the druid bot again and backs up, after a struggle with Gwaine, Gwaine knocks him out cold.**

"Well," Leon laughs. "What Merlin said in training makes sense now."

Gwaine almost doubles over with laughter. "Wrong side of the table, ha-ha, how did you not find that funny."

"How did you find it so funny?" Percival asks, with a smile.

Arthur rolls his eyes. "I wasn't in the mood for Merlin and his estranged sense of humour."

"I'll have to apologise to Merlin," Elyan mutters. "I didn't mean to hit with such aggression."

"Merlin has suffered far worse, than a few hard hits from a sword." Tristan points out.

Gaius turns to face Gwaine. "Next time could you kindly inform me of how Elyan has really been knocked out. Sating he knocked himself out when he tripped creates a total different type of damage, to that of being knocked out."

**Gwaine and Leon take Elyan to Gaius, who comments on Elyan condition as strange. Gwaine says it's like Elyan lost his mind and Gaius tells him, when he wants his medical opinion he'll ask for it. Gwaine asks Gaius to keep this a secret from Arthur and when Gaius asks why, Gwaine and Leon answer they think his behaviour might have something to do with Gwen's banishment and don't want Arthur to think Elyan's loyalties are divided. As Gaius turns to leave he drops something to the floor, as he picks it up, he notices a ring of salt on the floor at the foot of Elyan bed. Later that night, Merlin gets yelled at by Arthur and returns to physician's chamber. Only to be ignored by Gaius too, who's reading. Gaius quickly asks Merlin if Elyan disturbed the shrine at all and Merlin doesn't know for sure. Gaius tells him, Elyan has spoken a word and has no physical injuries, all he could find was a pile of salt at the end of his bed. Merlin works out, he's trying to ward off an evil spirit and Gaius tells Merlin, he must tell Arthur Elyan has been possessed by a spirit. But Merlin isn't sure Arthur would believe him.**

"I should have been informed of Elyan's condition." Arthur speaks, looking at Gaius.

"I believed, sire," Gaius answers. "Informing you of Elyan's condition, would have been unwise. Once I knew the reason for Elyan condition, be it physical or mental, I would have informed you had I seen it fit to do so."

"He is one of my knights, Gaius, I rely on the knights to help me protect his kingdom. If one of them is in no fit state to do that, I am to be informed straight away, regardless to fact you know what's causing it or not, am I understood."

"Yes, my lord." Gaius answers.

Arthur nodes. "Good."

"Why do people believe a circle of salt will protect them?" Gwen asks suddenly, with a slight frown.

"In witchcraft, salt is believed to have cleansing properties. As well as ability to protect you and remove and cast away negative and harmful energies," Taliesin explains. "People also believe evil spirits and demons hate and won't come near salt. Many believe placing salt in windows and doorways stops evil from entering your home."

Tristan shakes his head. "A small pile of salt, is quite clearly not going to protect you from evil spirits."

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**Later that night, Elyan wakes to find the druid boy standing in his room. The druid boy asks Elyan not to be angry with him and comforts the boy, before asking him what he wants. The druid boy tells Elyan he wants peace, the wrong that was done to him must be righted, in order for that to happen the king must be killed. Elyan sneaks through the castle to Arthur room, where he attacks Arthur, who was sitting at his table. Arthur calls the guards, but Elyan escapes before the guards can catch him. Agravaine quickly orders the knights to find and catch Elyan. Merlin who arrives in Arthur chamber, tells Arthur, he thinks Elyan has disturbed a spirit and has become possessed. Gwaine tells Leon and Percival he thought there'd be a day where he'd have to hunt one of his own. They all believe Elyan done this because of what Arthur did to Gwen, they soon find Elyan and catch him.**

Leon glances at Arthur. "What did you do? What did you do that made someone, so peaceful, young and innocent, want to kill?"

"I've done thing I regret," Arthur answers. "What happened there..."

"They were slaughtered, weren't they?" Percival asks.

Arthur nodes. "I told them not to kill the women and children, but many of the knights didn't listen."

"How is that fair," Gwaine complains. "Percival knocks Elyan out and its okay, but I knock him out and I get told off."

"If Percival hadn't knocked Elyan out he could have harmed himself or you." Gaius speaks up.

**Elyan is thrown in the dungeons, the druid boy appears and tells Elyan he failed him, Elyan just mutters he's sorry over and over again. The following day Agravaine tries to convince Arthur to have Elyan killed. But Arthur believes Merlin might be right and Elyan might be possessed. After Merlin and Agravaine have been dismissed, Merlin goes and speaks with Gaius. Merlin knows they can't let Arthur kill Elyan, but Gaius doesn't know what they can do and Merlin asks if there's a way to rid Elyan of the spirit which haunts him. Gaius tells him its powerful magic, but Merlin tells him he must master it, if he is to save Elyan's life. Gaius reminds Merlin he can't do magic on Elyan, in the cells, right under the noises of the guards. Merlin tells Gaius they have to break Elyan out and do the spell or he will be killed. Later that night, Gaius gives Merlin the spell he needs and a drug to knock Elyan with.**

"Agravaine really would have had you kill a lot of people," Isolde mutters. "And all of them people you're close to."

Arthur shakes his head. "He was only saying what my father would have done."

"And look at you father," Tristan points out. "He was cold, bitter and alone."

"Merlin one hell of a friend, he mastered powerful magic in a matter of hour, just to save one friend." Gwaine whistles.

Gaius smiles with pride. "Merlin has many skills, but magic is the one he is capable of learning the fastest and without fault."

"I'm glad Merlin helped me," Elyan speaks. "With out his help I sure I would have been killed."

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**Merlin sneaks down to the dungeons, Merlin uses magic to knock a barrel over and room it down a corridor. The two guards chase after it and Merlin is able to free Elyan without getting caught. Elyan and Merlin escape into the woods, but the druid boy makes Elyan knock Merlin out, when Merlin tries to make Elyan drink a drugged water skin. The following morning Merlin returns to Camelot and as Gaius treats his head, Merlin tells Gaius he felt a presence in the woods. Gaius asks Merlin if he'd be able to find the shrine, Merlin isn't sure, but he might be able to. And so Merlin and Gaius travel to the shrine. As they look around, Gaius knocks some rocks, after telling Merlin not to disturb anything. As Merlin looks round, he suddenly hears screams and cries of pain, he follows the sound to the well Elyan drunk from. Half crying, he calls Gaius after witnessing something in the water. He tells Gaius something terrible happens here, Gaius points out the druid runes around the well Merlin failed to notice and shows Merlin a crossbow bolt, there were many scattered around the area. Merlin guesses this was Uthur's doing and Gaius fears he's right.**

Gwaine glances at Elyan. "You seemed quite surprised Merlin helped you escape."

"I never thought Merlin was someone who's break the law," Elyan answers. "I knew he was loyal to Arthur."

"I'm surprised, that tunnel he used is only known to a select few." Leon points out.

Elyan nodes. "I'd never used it before."

"What did Merlin see in the well?" Gwen asks, concerned upon seeing Merlin reaction.

"I don't know," Gaius answers. "Merlin never told me, but I believe he saw what happened to the druids that day or saw the aftermath of what happened."

"That's horrible." Gwen gasps.

"Sometimes having such a great power can be a terrible burden." Taliesin speaks.

**Merlin and Gaius return to Camelot, as soon as they return, Merlin goes to see Arthur and explains where he'd been all night. Arthur teases Merlin with his food, before dismissing him and continuing his work. After leaving the council chamber, Merlin ducks behind a pillar and glens to eat, when he spots a hand on the floor. Putting the food back on the plate, Merlin walks forward and finds the guards knocked out, Merlin drops the plate and runs back towards the council chamber. In the council chamber Arthur jumps to his feet as both his guards fall to the ground. Elyan steps out the shadows with a crossbow and tries to shot Arthur who dives out the way. As they fight, Arthur asks Elyan why he's doing this and the druid boy answers and Arthur knows Elyan is possessed. Merlin arrives outside the council chamber and is forced to use magic to open the doors. Merlin enters just in time to stop Arthur killing Elyan and Elyan runs off.**

"You didn't believe him did you?" Gwaine grins at Arthur.

Arthur shakes his head. "I didn't think Merlin helped him escape, but I knew he had something to do with it."

"How did no one notice Merlin used magic to open the door?" Tristan asks. "The lock exploded!"

Elyan shakes his head. "I don't even remember it, but I think the druid boy knew who Merlin is, as in Emrys I mean."

"It would explain the fear the druid boy showed when he saw Merlin." Isolde points out.

"Couldn't the druid boy so magic?" Leon asks. "Because he only attacked using weapons."

Gaius shakes his head. "If the druid has possessed someone who had magic, then there was a chance he could use magic."

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**Sometime later Merlin, Gaius and Arthur stand in the throne room as Agravaine informs the castle has gone into shut down and if Elyan is within the castle walls he'll be caught and killed. After Agravaine has gone Arthur explains to Merlin and Gaius, when Elyan spoke to him, it wasn't his voice, it was someone else's. Gaius tells Arthur he believes the shrine was once a druid camp that was attacked by Uthur. Gaius explains that only the person who committed the acts against the druids could help them find peace, Merlin points out Uthur is dead so he can't say sorry. Arthur asks if anything can be done for Elyan and Gaius tells he doesn't know anything and their only choice might be to kill Elyan. **

"You let Agravaine order us to hunt Elyan down even though you knew he was possessed!?" Gwaine exclaimed shocked.

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Do you think I ordered Agravaine to tell you that, it was his decision."

"Well you didn't try and stop him!"

"I think," Leon speaks up. "Arthur let Agravaine give that order because he knew Elyan was no longer in the castle, or am I mistaken?"

"You are not." Arthur answers.

**That night Merlin tides away Arthur plates and tells him he can't be help responsible for all his father actions. Arthur dismisses Merlin for the night and Merlin leaves. As Merlin returns to his room after cleaning Arthur's armour, he sees Arthur, dressed in a cloak, leaving his room and follows him. Out in the woods, Arthur works out Merlin's following him and circles round on Merlin. Arthur tells Merlin he can go back to Camelot, but Merlin continues to follow Arthur. They return to the shrine and Merlin's not sure what Arthur planning, Arthur explains it wasn't Uthur who led the raid on the camp, it was him. Elyan soon appears, Arthur goes down on his knees and apologies to the druid boy. Arthur wished he could change the horrors that happened that day, but it can not be changed or righted. As king, Arthur promises he'll do everything in his power to stop anything like what happened, happening again. He promises Camelot will treat the druids with the respect they deserve and they're will be peace between them. And the druid boy finally finds peace. Back in Camelot, Elyan is making a full recovery and Merlin and Arthur full back into their usual bantering.**

"You made Merlin stay up late in to the night, just to clean your armour!" Isolde exclaimed. "And you wonder why he wakes you up late in the morning."

Leon shakes his head. "If you wanted to go alone, you should have just given Merlin the night off."

"Yeah," Gwaine agrees. "He would have been on the opposite side of the castle asleep."

"No, he would have gone out into the woods. He would have gone after Elyan to try and remove the spirit." Percival mutters.

Gaius nodes. "Merlin was planning on going after Elyan, he knew if he didn't and Elyan got caught he would have been killed."

"You really were sorry... It seems your less like your father than I believed." Tristan mutters.

"What I said at the shrine, I mean it," Arthur speaks up. "I will do everything within my power to stop adverts like that happening ever again... What happened there should never have been allowed to happen, if I could have stopped my father, I would have."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "The past can not be changed, the future is all that matters now."

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man, his name... Merlin.

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**Gwen works mucking out a yard, as she stops working for a moment, she twists the ring on a rope she wears round her neck. Suddenly people start screaming, what seem to be bandits ride into the town, killing anyone in their way. Gwen ducks down behind the wall of the yard, before turning and running, but is forced to stop as she nearly runs into one of the bandits, she falls backwards and the bandit raises his axe to strike her. But before he can a second bandit stops him and tells him there is still pleasure to be found here. Elsewhere in Camelot, Merlin and Arthur are walking to the council chamber and Arthur tells Merlin to shut up. In the council chamber Arthur tells the court he is to marry princess Mithian. Gaius quickly tells Merlin to smile and clap, as he just stares at Arthur in shock. After the meeting is over, Merlin challenges Arthur on his decision and tells him he still loves Gwen. And in response, Arthur threatens to banish Merlin as well. **

Gwen smiles sadly. "There wasn't a day, or a moment, I didn't think about you."

"I should never have let you go on your own." Elyan mutters, as he watches the bandits raid the village.

"You nearly died!" Arthur exclaimed. "You could have died! I swear if he did anything to you..."

"Well, Merlin certainly wasn't pleased with the news." Gwaine mutters.

Percival nodes. "That's the fakest smile I've ever seen."

"You have to say the news was a surprise," Leon adds. "Being so close after what happened with Gwen and Arthur."

"I sometimes wonder how Merlin still has that head of his, on his shoulders... There are not many who would risk challenging Arthur in such a way." Gaius shakes his head.

**Some time later, a map maker, Owen, is sorting through some scrolls. After he's finished, he locks and leaves. As he walks down the corridor, Agravaine steps out the shadows and asks him if he has what he asked for. Agravaine threatens him, but he still refuses to do what Agravaine asked of him and Agravaine kills him. Sometime later Agravaine rides out to see Morgana and informs her, he hasn't been able to get the plans for the siege tunnels. Morgana warns him, Camelot is growing in power everyday, if they do not strike soon, they never will be able to. Morgana orders Agravaine to get the plans himself and also warns him not to get caught. Elsewhere Gwen is being forced to dine with the bandit, Helios, who saved her life. She been forced to dress in a harem styled clothing. The two introduce themselves to each other and Gwen thanks him for her life, even though the villagers were not so lucky and the two eat together.**

"Merlin was right, Agravaine really did steal the siege tunnel plans." Arthur mutters.

"Isn't that a tad obvious," Gwaine answers. "They got into the castle through the siege tunnels and we knew Agravaine was the traitor."

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Shut up, Gwaine."

"Least we know Owen didn't betray Camelot, like we were led to believe," Leon speaks. "When we return to Camelot, his family must be informed."

Percival shakes his head. "Morgana knew we were getting stronger, but why did she still attack us when she had no idea who Emrys was?"

"I think Morgana believed, Emrys did not live within Camelot's borders. Once she had the castle, I think she felt not even Emrys would be able to stop her." Gaius answers.

"Purple suits you Gwen." Elyan teases his sister.

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**Arthur, Agravaine, the knights and courtiers gather on the steps to the castle to welcome princess Mithian and her party from Nemeth. Arthur is pleasantly surprised at Mithian's beauty, but quickly recovers himself. Arthur tells everyone that tomorrow there will be a great feast to welcome the knights and princess of Nemeth. Elsewhere, Gwen has been shown by Helios where they will be dining and Gwen is quite surprised. As they sit, Helios tells Gwen, he wants to know all about her, Gwen tells him it's a long story and Helios tells her that have all night. Back in Camelot Agravaine has moved Owen's body to make it look like he fell or jumped from the castle walls and placed a letter in his jacket. During Gwen and Helios's diner a guard enters telling Helios the Lady Morgana has requested an meeting and Gwen quickly retires for the night. As Gwen leaves she passes Morgana, who doesn't recognise her. Morgana informs Helios she has yet to get the plan of Camelot's siege tunnels and Helios has yet to get his forces up to strength.**

Gwen glances at Arthur. "You were to marry?"

"Yes." Arthur answers.

"Why..." Gwen replies, almost unable to speak due to the tears which were threatening to once again fall. "I... I mean... Didn't I... Why so soon?"

"Camelot needed a Queen and Nemeth is a strong ally." Arthur answers.

Gwen nodes, turning away. "I understand."

"I once crossed paths with Helios," Tristan all but spat. "He had a taste for women. Even those who were already taken!"

"He's dead now, he wouldn't trouble anyone again." Isolde places a hand on Tristan's arm.

"Morgana really had him wrapped around her little finger, didn't she? Sad really." Gwaine mutters.

**The following morning, Leon shows Agravaine the body of Owen he found and Agravaine tells Leon he must have fallen off the wall. Leon disagrees and Agravaine thinks he might have been drunk, but once again Leon disagrees, much to Agravaine annoyance. Leon quickly goes off to find Gaius and Agravaine just laughs to himself. Elsewhere Merlin and Gaius are eating breakfast, Merlin tells Gaius it's Arthur's fate to marry Gwen. Gaius tells him if it is so, then it will happen, but Merlin doesn't know if he should bet involved and he isn't sure what he should do anymore. Suddenly Leon bursts through the door saying Gaius is needed. A short time later Gaius kneels over Owens body and soon finds the letter Agravaine planted on him, it's from king Odin's court. Agravaine quickly takes the letter to Arthur, the two of them quickly go down and to see if any maps are missing and Agravaine volunteers to all the plans himself and Arthur agrees.**

"Since when do you know so much about people falling of castle walls?" Gwaine asks.

Leon rolls his eyes. "It was common sense, Gwaine, something I believe you lack."

"Ha-ha, real funny." Gwaine mutters sarcastically.

"It is my fate to marry Gwen." Arthur mutters. "But what would have happened if I married princess Mithian?"

"You would have married her." Taliesin answers. "But she would not have stayed your wife for long and the one you re-married would have been Gwen, fate is never thrown of course for long. Some fates can never be changed."

Percival shakes his head. "That explains how Agravaine was able to steal the plans without anyone knowing it was him."

"He was Arthur's right hand man, the guards wouldn't have stopped him even if they had seen him carrying the plans out." Elyan points out.

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**After stealing the plans to the siege tunnels, Agravaine quickly sets out and gives Morgana the plans. Once Morgana has the plans she makes a copy of them and quickly tells Agravaine he's done well, finally. Later back in the castle, Merlin is serving at the feast, he watches Arthur and princess Mithian closely, still unsure if he should do something to stop the union between them or not. Merlin uses magic to make Arthur drop a spoonful of soup over himself and Mithian doesn't seem to bothered. Agravaine appears and tells Arthur the scroll vaults are secure and nothing was missing. As Arthur and Mithian part for the night, Arthur learns Mithian loves hunting. The following day Morgana takes her copy of the siege tunnel plans to Helios and Gwen over hears Morgana saying Agravaine gave her the copy. Knocking a stone alerts Morgana and Helios to Gwen presence and she is forced to run, as Morgana and Helios follow her, Morgana sees Gwen's old dress and knows Gwen could tell Arthur ruining there plans to take Camelot.**

"That explains why the copy of the plans wasn't missing," Leon mutters. "Morgana simply made a copy of them."

Percival thinks for a moment. "It's like what Merlin did when he created Lancelot a seal of nobility."

"Would you even be able to tell if something had been copied with magic?" Elyan asks.

"It's possible," Gaius speaks up. "That there is a spell, which would show you if it had been copied. But without the aid of magic, it would be impossible to tell."

Arthur glared at the screen. "Merlin!"

"Soup is quite a good look for you, Arthur, you should wear it more often." Gwaine grins.

"Maybe if I had been more careful," Gwen mutters. "They would never have known I was there."

**Gwen runs through the woods, chased by Helios's men, coming to a river she has no where left to run, that wouldn't be easy to track. With no other choice, Gwen jumps in the water and holds her breath until Hel****ios's men have passed. Elsewhere Arthur is taking Mithian on a picnic and forces Merlin to move spots twice, whilst carrying all the bags and Mithian helps him knowing Arthur is being mean. As Arthur and Mithian enjoy their picnic, Merlin once again uses magic to embarrass Arthur, but once again it doesn't work. Later that night, Morgana and Helios are still looking for Gwen and Morgana will not rest until Gwen is found. Elsewhere in the woods, Gwen has made a small fire and tries to get some rest, but even the smallest noise makes her jump****.**

Gaius turns and looks a Gwen. "How could you be so foolish? The water is freezing at this time of year and with no where to go you could have got a serious cause of hyperthermia."

"I had no where else to go... If I had run along the banks, they would have seen me and I'm sure they would have killed me! Even if they didn't Morgana wouldn't have let me live, of that I am sure!" Gwen replies.

"I would risk suffering hyperthermia over being caught by Helios," Isolde answers. "He is not kind to those who have betrayed or double crossed him."

Tristan nodes his agreement. "It wouldn't have mattered that you are a women, if you had been caught, you would have suffered the same fate many other have befallen at his hand."

"This should never have happened," Elyan muttered. "If I had gone with you..."

"Helios men would have killed you in the village," Gwen answers. "He only spared me, because I was still of some use to him."

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**The following morning Merlin is once again complaining about Arthur, but Gaius is too busy looking at the letter found on Owen to pay any attention to what he's saying. In the court-yard, Arthur and the knights have gathered ready for the hunt. Back in the castle, Merlin and Mithian talk and Merlin agrees to let Mithian have a chance with Arthur. Out in the woods, Morgana is still looking for Gwen. Not far from Morgana, Gwen is woken by the sounds of a horse and quickly gets to her feet. Gwen runs, but Morgana soon picks up Gwen's trail. Morgana finally catches up with Gwen and throws her into a tree, knocking her out. Close by the hunting has started. After ripping the ring from Gwen's neck, Morgana hears the sounds of the hunting party and quickly casts a spell on Gwen, before fleeing.**

"Well," Leon mutters. "Mithian is right, you do value Merlin's opinion over all others."

Arthur snorts. "Why would anyone in their right mind value Merlin's opinion? He acts like idiot half the time."

"What did you think was strange about the letter?" Percival asks turning to Gaius.

"The way it was written," Gaius answers. "Something about the wording didn't seem right."

Gwaine shakes his head. "You'd never be able to out run Morgana, she has magic."

"I had to try." Gwen answers.

**Back with the hunting party, Merlin complaining and Arthur tells him they can always give him a five minute head start. Suddenly Leon spots a deer and everyone rides after it. Merlin walking in a different direction to the hunting party finds the deer and his magic reacts instinctively, showing him the deer is in fact Gwen and this is conformed as deer walks past a puddle and Gwen image is shown in the reflection. Suddenly the hunting party rides past Merlin, snapping him out of his daze. Running after the hunting party, Merlin stops Arthur's bolt hitting Gwen, but is unable to stop Mithian's and Gwen is hit. As they look for the deer, Arthur finds Gwen's ring, that Morgana dropped before fleeing. Arthur quickly ends the hunting for the day and returns to Camelot, much to Mithian confusion.**

Arthur stared at the screen in horror. "I would have killed you, if it wasn't for Merlin changing the course of my bolt! I'm so sorry Gwen."

"I knew Morgana did something, when the hunt started following me... I really thought I was going to die." Gwen answers.

"Why did Merlin's magic react on it's own like that?" Elyan asks. "It's never done that with other people who've changed what they look like."

"Gwen wasn't changed of her own freewill." Taliesin explains. "Merlin's magic will react in such a way to spell that have been forced on another, because the subconscious of the person will be calling out for help... Even if the conscious mind is unaware of what's wrong."

"Gwen didn't know she was a deer?" Tristan asked, surprised being an understatement.

"I knew something was wrong," Gwen speaks up. "But I didn't know my form had changed."

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**That night Merlin returns to the woods, looking for Gwen and soon finds her unconscious, shivering on the ground and a crossbow bolt in her leg. Be quickly removes the bolt from her leg and heals it with magic. The following morning, Gwen wakes to find Merlin sitting beside her, much to her surprise. After the two of them hug, Gwen tells Merlin what she over heard Morgana and Helios talking about. Merlin tries to convince Gwen to return to Camelot with him, but she refuses and Merlin returns alone. He quickly tells Arthur about the plans, but when Arthur checks the scroll vaults the plans are still there. As Arthur threatens to exile Merlin, Agravaine smirks at him, having just arrived and knowing he once again has got away with betraying Camelot.**

"Merlin's got better at healing." Gwaine points out.

Gaius nodes. "After being unable to heal Arthur at the crystal caves and when Morgana and Morgause created the immortal army, Merlin found a book of healing spells and started to practice. But there is still room for improvement."

"When I woke up," Gwen mutters. "I didn't think the bolt had hit me, I had no injury... I thought Merlin had just been talking about when Morgana knocked me unconscious."

"Well," Tristan speaks. "Agravaine certainly looks like the cat who just got the mouse."

Isolde nodes. "You'd think someone would notice, but I suppose love blinds you to a persons faults."

"To think Camelot almost fell due to my uncles betrayal and I was too blinds to see his true nature." Arthur mutters.

**The following morning, Arthur sits, dressed in amour and twisting the ring he gave Gwen. Merlin enters, Arthur asks Merlin how you can love someone who betrayed you or force yourself to love another. Merlin tries to get out of answering the question, but Arthur tells him, he doesn't know what to do. Merlin simply tells Arthur to do what his heart tells him to do, Arthur answers he doesn't know what that is and Merlin thinks he does. Arthur thanks Merlin as he leaves. Later that day, Arthur calls off the engagement with Mithian. As the leave the two agree peace and Mithian tells she would give her kingdom to one day finds someone who will her as much as Arthur loves Gwen. That night, Arthur asks Merlin if he made the right decision and Merlin thinks he did. Arthur once again unsure if Merlin is wise or not, but as Merlin leaves he trips over the chamber pot, so there's no question really.**

"Well," Percival smiles. "You really do listen to Merlin."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "I didn't know what else to do... Merlin does give good advice, from time to time."

"Seems Merlin can act respective of royals," Percival grins. "Bet it reminded of when Merlin acted like a proper servant."

"Don't remind me." Arthur groans.

Gwen smiles and grips Arthur's hand. "I would give up everything I have for you and no matter what happened I will love you with all my heart."

"I love you too." Arthur answers.

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. I only have to write two more episodes to write :)**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	53. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-two: What are friends for? Part two.

Bercilak walked at the head of the group, closely followed by Gilli and Eira, who walked almost next to him on either side and carefully looking for tracks. Behind them walked Sefa, Tyr and Daegal, all watching the trees, as if expecting to be ambushed any moment and all jumping at the smallest noise. Kara who walked a couple of steps behind them, rolled her eyes, but even she couldn't help but feel a little on edge. Only a couple of steps behind Kara, Merlin and Freya walked, hand in hand and both watching the trees and glancing over their shoulder ever minute or so.

"It's too quiet." Freya mutters, gripping Merlin's hand.

Merlin nodes. "As far as I can tell we're the only living beings in this part of the wood... Something must have happened to scare of all the animals like this."

"But what would scare them off?" Kara asks, from in front of them. "If a groups of Orcs, were to pass through, the animals would return as soon as they had passed."

Merlin and Freya both glanced round again. They had all left there horses at the village they had passed a couple of miles back. They wanted the element of surprise on whoever was attacking the out lying villages and horses were far to easy to hear coming and to track.

"Look," Freya suddenly points to the undergrowth, where a small piece of fur could just be seen. "What is that?"

Kara quickly walked over to where Freya had pointed, she was closest to it.

"It's a dead fox." She answers after pushing back the leaves.

"A dead fox?" Freya asks. "Wouldn't wolves have got to it by now?"

Merlin suddenly pulls his scarf up to cover his mouth and nose. "Cover your mouths and noses!"

Bercilak turns and looks back, as Freya and Kara both cover their mouths with their cloaks. "What did you say?"

"COVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE." Merlin yells.

Everyone ahead of them does. Only a couple of seconds later a pale mist moves through the trees.

"It's only mist." Gilli mutters, his voice slightly muffled, as he speaks through the material of his cloak.

"No it isn't," Merlin answers. "It's a gas and it's more than capable of killing you, if you breathe too much of it in."

"How do you know?" Gilli replies.

Merlin sighs slightly. "Before I hatched Aithusa, I had to retrieve his egg from a tomb. When the tomb door was opened, it triggered a trap, which sprayed a gas. The gas, knocked the person in front of me out and I removed the gas before he breathed in enough to kill him... It has little to no smell, but it discolours most thing. The leaves on the trees around us are dull and all the animals in the area are dead."

The gas was all around them now, but Merlin had, with a flash lf his eyes, kept it away from them. But it was still to risky to uncover their mouths and noses.

"Where did they get the gas from?" Sefa asks. "And how did they get so much?"

"Magic can create many things, even gases such as this." Freya answers.

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With their mouths and noses still covered, Merlin, Freya, Sefa, Kara, Eira, Daegal, Tyr, Gilli and Bercilak make their way through the trees. The gas hung in the air around them and swirled in the slight wind.

"How much magic do you think it would have taken to create this much gas?" Sefa asks.

Bercilak shrugs. "It demands on which spell they use... Some spells will use more magic than others."

"They may not have even used magic," Daegal points out. "They may be burning a compound which is creating the gas."

"No, they've used magic." Kara disagrees.

Gilli thinks for a second. "There is only one person I know who is capable of using magic like this... Jared."

"But why?" Eira asks. "I mean no one lives in these woods, the closest village is four miles away!"

"Protection." Merlin answers.

"Protection?" Tyr asks.

Merlin nodes. "I think, if it is Jared, he's using this gas to protect his camp."

"Anyone who walks into it thinking it's just mist or fog, will pass out and/or die if they breath too much in," Freya agrees. "If Jared camp is surrounded by this gas, no one will make it anywhere near his camp."

"I think you're right... Look at this, Orc tracks and they're leading deeper into the woods." Bercilak speaks up, pointing out the tracks.

Gilli grins. "Looks like we're found whose responsible for the attacks on the villages."

"But we can't just follow the tracks," Eira points out. "If the Orcs created this gas to hide their hide out, there could be hundreds of them."

"The scouts would have noticed hundreds of Orcs passing through the area." Kara points out.

"They may not have passed through," Merlin speaks up. "Jared is more than capable of creating Orcs with magic... He may not be the only one working for Mordred within our kingdom. Eira's right, there could be hundreds of them."

Bercilak nodes. "It would be a good plan, think about it. Once we go to battle this side of the kingdom is going to have little to no protection, a group of a fifty or more Orcs, would do a lot of damage."

"So what should we do?" Daegal asks.

"I think," Freya speaks up. "I may have a plan that might just work."

Merlin smiles. "Well then, my lady, let's get to work."

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Merlin and Freya walked between a group of five Orcs, hoods pulled low over their faces and scarfs pulled up over their mouths and noses. They were lead a long a narrow path, which weaved between the trees and through the tree line ahead of them, Merlin could make out a small village. Around them hidden in the shadows, the others followed them. If this plan failed, Merlin and Freya were going to be in trouble, there was no doubt of that fact.

Merlin had volunteered to be the one that got, but Freya refused to let him go alone, so they had agreed to go together. Also they were the only two with strong magic, well magic strong enough to battle their way out of an enemy camp with out help. An Orc to Merlin's right shoved him forward, as he stopped for a second upon seeing the village. Bodies of those who had been killed were piled around the village, almost like a wall.

Beside him, Freya let out a slight gagging noise and for a second Merlin believed she was going to be sick. And he couldn't blame her, the sight was gruesome. As they entered the village, Orcs watched them pass, weapons ready to strike, the moment the order was given. Ahead of them, were a pile of bodies dressed in purple cloaks and armour, Merlin knew to be from Amata forges.

"My, my, my, what do we have here?" Jared mocks as he appears from one of the abandoned houses

"Two druids, my lord." One of the Orcs answers, thinking Jared was being serious. "We found them in the woods, less than a mile from here."

Jared glares at the Orc for a moment. "I can see that they are druids!... Less than a mile from here you say? Interesting."

"When can we kill them, my lord?" A second Orc questions.

"Soon," Jared answers. "But first I have some questions I want answering... And these two are going to give me the answers, or their suffering will be prolonged."

"What makes you think we'll answer anything?" Freya suddenly speaks up.

Jared grins. "Lets just say if you don't... The consequences won't be pleasant."

"That's your idea of a threat?" Merlin snorts.

"I know that voice," Jared growls, he waves his hand at the Orc closest to Merlin and they pull Merlin's hood and scarf down. "You!"

Merlin smiles slightly. "Hello, Jared."

"I should have known it was you, druid boy!" Jared glares at Merlin.

"If you ask kindly," Merlin grins. "I might answer you questions."

"What I want to know, druid boy, is where Merlin Emrys wedding is being held tomorrow!" Jared snaps.

Freya glances at Merlin, by the shake of her shoulders, Merlin knew she was trying to suppress a laugh.

"Why do you want to know?" Freya finally asks.

"Because-" Jared begins. "Why am I even telling you this? Now tell me. Where. Is. The. Wedding. Being. Held."

"Never." Both Merlin and Freya answer.

"KILL THEM!" Jared yells, losing his patience.

Before the Orc closest to Merlin can even move, they fall to the ground with an arrow in their back, before they vanish into a pile of earth and insects. Jared glances round, before quickly running for cover. The four other Orcs around Merlin and Freya all fall to the ground, as the abandoned village around explodes to life. Orcs stream out of the buildings around them, as Gilli, Bercilak, Daegal, Kara, Sefa and Eira appear on the roofs of the buildings.

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Daegal slices the enchanted ropes that bound Merlin's and Freya's wrists behind their backs.

"Thanks." Merlin grins, as he pulls Freya to her feet.

Daegal grins. "No problem."

"Well it seems everyone else were more than content with letting us sit here tied up." Merlin mutters.

"Why couldn't you free yourselves with magic?" Daegal asks, as Freya uses magic to throw a small group of Orcs backwards through the air.

"They were enchanted," Freya explains. "Neither me or Merlin could guess the correct spell."

Merlin's eyes flashed gold and six Orcs are thrown into the wall of one of the abandoned houses.

"Merlin!" Bercilak yells.

Merlin turns, just in time to catch a sword. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Bercilak yells back, before killing three Orcs, with one swing of his blade.

Daegal turns and throws a knife at an approaching Orc. "Where did Jared go?"

"He run towards one of the houses," Freya answers. "He won't be hard to track."

"Transportation spells." Merlin points out.

Daegal nodes. "He could be miles away by now."

"Eira!" Merlin yells, as she was knocked to the ground by a Orc and disarmed.

Running Merlin drove the his sword through the Orcs back and Merlin watched as the Orc disintegrated, holding out his hand, he pulled Eira to her feet.

"Thanks for that, Merlin." Eira mutters trying to catch her breath.

"What are friends for?" Merlin grins.

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. I would just like to thank Quill for pointing out my spelling mistake with 'Heloise' and 'Helios' (I feel like such an idiot). I would also like to answer a guest question. The points of view in the story are the characters, not mine. I personally believe Uthur and Arthur prosecution of those with magic was wrong, but I also feel it wasn't Arthur fault to believe magic was evil. All his life Arthur had been told magic was evil, by his father and all those who attacked him were trying to kill him or harm the kingdom. As for Morgana she had the right intentions, but went about achieving them in the wrong way.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	54. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-three: The sword in the stone part one and two.

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man, his name... Merlin.

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**In the kings' chamber, Arthur is getting inpatient, as Merlin is taking ages in getting him his belt. Moving from behind the screen, Arthur finds Merlin making another hole in his belt. Arthur tells Merlin not to say a word of what he has done to anyone and Merlin agree, after all he's good at keeping secrets. Elsewhere Agravaine, knocks out the guards with a smoke bomb and signals to Morgana and Helios, that they can begin the attack. As the feast starts, Arthur notices Agravaine is missing and comments to Gaius about it. As Merlin brings Arthur his food, he jokes about Arthur's belt causing Percival to almost choke on his drink. Agravaine leads the attack on the castle from the tunnels as Arthur and Merlin talk about Gwen, unaware of what's happening below the castle. And so the attack on Camelot begins. **

"Yeah," Gwaine mutters. "Merlin is good at keeping secrets, but _only_ the ones he wants to keep."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "Merlin just couldn't miss the chance to embarrass me."

"It's fine for you, I almost choked on my wine." Percival mutters, failing to hide a smile.

Leon shakes his head. "They planned that attack well, once it started their was nothing we could do to stop it."

"They overrun the castle in a matter if minutes." Elyan agrees.

"You didn't stand a chance," Tristan mutters. "How did you even get out the castle?"

**In the lower town, Leon and Elyan are trying to help put out fires. When both of them see hundreds of men charging towards them. Gwaine appears at the feast and warns everyone the castle is under attack. Arthur quickly gives out orders. Elsewhere Elyan finds Agravaine and goes to kill him, but Morgana knocks him out with magic. In the castle Merlin is helping Gaius, before he runs off to find Arthur, knowing Morgana and his uncle will go after him first. Elsewhere Arthur and the knights are fighting their way through the castle, while Morgana and Helios are fighting their way up through the town towards the castle. Leon leads the people towards the woods and Merlin finds Arthur just as he injure, as he gets Arthur out the way, be casts a spell stopping the enemy from following them. As they pass the court-yard, Arthur sees Agravaine along side Morgana and Helios and Merlin only just manages to stop him from attacking them right that moment.**

"Leading the people was all I could do, to save lives," Leon explains. "Staying to fight, would have saved no one."

Arthur nodes. "Some time retreating is the best course of action... You saved the lives of many people, the city was already lost."

"Agravaine is a coward," Elyan mutters. "He couldn't even fight me in a fair fight."

Gwen frowns, slightly. "Most of the spells we've seen Merlin use in battle have used fire, why is that."

"It's his main element as a dragon lord and a sudden explosion on fire in the middle of a battle is not uncommon, but men being thrown through the air would draw more attention." Gaius explains.

"It would draw unwanted attention," Percival agree. "And the enemy would know who to target."

Gwaine grins. "Good thing he's never been caught then, huh?"

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**Back in the castle Morgana is sitting on the throne, when Helios**** enter and informs her, Arthur has no where left to run. Elsewhere, Gaius looks at Arthur injuries, when Gwaine and Percival enter and shut the doors, warning them they have minutes before they'll get caught. Knowing Arthur will never leave the castle of his own free will, Merlin casts a spell on Arthur taking away his free will. Percival takes Arthur while, Gwaine stays behind to buy them more time. At first Merlin refuses to go, unless Gaius goes with him, but Gwaine forces him to leave and Gaius and Gwaine wait for the room they're in to be taken. In the woods they find Elyan and they quickly keep on running, Merlin tells them Ealdor will be safe and they agree to go there. Suddenly Merlin tells them to stop and listen, the sound of horses and through the mist Agravaine appears, leading a group of Southrons. Forcing them all to run.**

"Morgana really hates you," Isolde mutters. "How Merlin's kept you alive this long is a miracle."

"She hated me all because I didn't lift the ban on magic and wanted the throne... But she did nothing to show me the good magic can do." Arthur mutters.

Percival nodes. "She used magic for her own personal gain, not for the good of others."

Arthur turns and glares at Gaius. "You shouldn't have let Merlin do that."

"It was the only way to get you out of Camelot safely," Gaius explains. "If Merlin hadn't done that spell you would have stayed in Camelot and Morgana would have killed you."

"HE TOOK AWAY MY FREE WILL!" Arthur yells. "What if Morgana had caught me? Or Agravaine? All they could have done was order me to fall on my sword and it would have been over."

"I trusted in Merlin's ability to keep you safe." Gaius answers.

**But Morgana is with Agravaine and she uses magic to throw them forward, Merlin, Arthur and Elyan get to their feet and Percival is no where in sight. They run, as they come to a trench and Elyan hands Merlin a sword and tells him to keep going with Arthur. Once Merlin and Arthur are safe, Merlin decides Arthur needs to change, he stands out too much. Back in Camelot, Agravaine informs Morgana they have control of Camelot, but the people still refuse to swear alliance to Morgana. Morgana orders for their crops to be burnt, as punishment. Suddenly Elyan is bought in and forced to his knees before Morgana, who plans to find out where Arthur has gone. Elsewhere Arthur changing his cloths, while Merlin waits and when Arthur appears, Merlin can't help but laugh. And soon finds the simpleton Arthur a bit unnerving.**

"Where did you go?" Elyan asks.

"I woke up hidden in the undergrowth later that night... I think it was that night." Percival adds.

Gaius nodes. "Her spell knocked you out."

"She burnt the people's crops!" Tristan exclaimed, shocked. "Did she even care about the people?"

Arthur shakes his head. "She wanted the throne and she didn't care how she claimed it."

Everyone laughs as they see Arthur.

Gwaine grins. "How, when you are a simpleton, can you dress yourself; but when you're the king you can't?"

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**Back in Camelot Morgana uses a Nathair, to torture Elyan. Agravaine and Helios wait outside as Elyan screams echo around the hall. Morgana soon appears and orders Agravaine to go to Ealdor and catch Arthur and bring him back to Camelot. Morgana then warns Agravaine if he fails her again, he'll be taking Elyan place. In the dungeons, Elyan is thrown into a cell with Gwaine and Gaius. Gaius quickly explains to Gwaine what has happened. Elsewhere in the castle, Morgana is reading some reports and Agravaine appears and warns her to be cautious and then leaves to find Arthur. Elsewhere Merlin and Arthur come across Tristan and Isolde, who let them travel with them, after Merlin offers them gold. But they do not take kindly to Merlin and Arthur at first, Merlin is even forced to duck out the way of a knife.**

"I've never heard of a... Nathair serpent?" Arthur speaks.

"They torture a person to the limits of their endurance," Gaius answers. "Elyan is lucky to be alive."

"Well," Leon mutters. "Agravaine took a lot of men with him... He really didn't want to fail Morgana."

"I thought you let Merlin travel with because you knew him?" Gwen speaks.

Tristan snorts. "Do you think we just let people travel with us because they gold? Many thief's have tried to buy their way into our goods and so have knights trying to catch us... The gold was just an added extra."

"Well I must admit, Arthur," Isolde smiles. "I'm slightly relieved to know your not a complete simpleton."

**As Merlin explains why Arthur is a simpleton, Tristan doesn't seem too surprised Merlin 'looks after' him. Elsewhere Agravaine finds Arthur armour and clothing and quickly picks up Merlin and Arthur's trail. As they stop for the night, Merlin works out there smugglers and they simply tell him they're too quick for half-wit king of Camelot. Merlin soon finds Arthur hugging a tree. That night Merlin makes Arthur wash up the pots for once and can't help but laugh as Arthur trips over. Agravaine and the Southrons don't stop for the night and draw closer and closer to where Merlin and Arthur are. The following morning, Arthur has returned to normal and kicks Merlin awake and demands to know what's going on. Merlin tells him Camelot has fallen and they're on their way to Ealdor. And Arthur is soon complaining about how he's dressed and Merlin tells him to keep in character, as a simpleton. As their about to leave Tristan notices the sword, Arthur is now carrying and gets suspicious.**

"Why was Merlin looking after me, so easy to believe?" Arthur demands. "I can take care of myself."

"Because Merlin's right, you wouldn't survive a day without him." Percival points out.

Everyone laughs as they see Arthur hugging a tree.

"Merlin never going to let you live that one down," Elyan laughs. "I don't think we will either."

Tristan shakes his head. "We lost a lot helping you... But me and Isolde are still together and that's all that matters."

"And I cannot thank you enough for your help." Arthur answers.

"How did you beat Agravaine?" Gwaine asks. "He had a lot of men with him."

"Merlin lost them in the cave." Arthur answers. "I'm guessing he used magic to lose them or possible trap them."

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**Suddenly the camp is attacked by Agravaine and the Southrons. Arthur and Merlin quickly grab a crossbow each and cover Triage and Isolde as they run for the cover of the trees. Arthur and Merlin both take out two Southrons each with crossbows, before joining Tristan and Isolde in the cover of the trees. Tristan works out the people who attacked them were after Arthur, who is forced to explain he's king Arthur Pendragon of Camelot and as they argue, Merlin spots Southrons running towards them and everyone is forced to fight. Arthur saves Isolde's life, after she injured and Tristan reminds Isolde of the promise they both made. Tristan and Isolde agree to travel with Arthur and Merlin, but only because Isolde needs treatment and triage makes how he fells about Arthur quite clear.**

"Merlin's not bad with a crossbow," Leon nodes. "With a bit more training he wouldn't be a half bad archer."

"He doesn't need mortal weapons." Percival points out.

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin can not always rely on his magic... There are many spells which can stop a sorcerer using their magic."

"Well," Gwaine mutters turning to Tristan. "You're not a lover of nobles, that's for sure."

"I like to think I judge a man on his actions, not into which family he is born." Tristan answers.

Elyan frowns, before speaking up. "You were quick to judge Arthur."

**Back in Camelot, Gwaine is looking around the cell, he, Gaius and Elyan are being held in. Suddenly there is a noise from outside the cell and Morgana along with two Southrons appear. She offers Gwaine a deal, he can get some food for Gaius, just as long as he's prepared to sing for it. As Gwaine is dragged from the cell, Elyan, who has recovered, gets to his feet, but there is little he can do. Elsewhere Merlin, Arthur, Isolde and Tristan have reached the border with king Lot's kingdom. Merlin quickly helps Isolde, as they find a place to camp and Tristan and Arthur are still not getting along. Back in Camelot, Gwaine is forced to fight a Southron, in order to get food. Back at the border to Lot's kingdom, Merlin has set up camp and as Isolde and Tristan sleep, Arthur works out Merlin knew Agravaine was betraying him. Merlin quickly says he had his suspicions, but didn't know for sure. Merlin and Arthur talk and Arthur can't understand why Morgana and Agravaine hate him so much, he cared about them.**

Leon shakes his head. "Singing for your supper? Talk about kicking someone when they're down."

"I couldn't let Gaius stave," Gwaine mutters. "I had to fight, if I didn't Gaius would have died of hunger."

"Like Morgana would have cared, she just wanted entertainment." Percival points out.

"Thank you, Gwaine." Gaius speaks up. "If you hadn't fought for food, I wouldn't have lasted more than a couple of days."

Arthur snorts. "Merlin knew Agravaine was the traitor from the moment he asked Gaius who Emrys was."

"He was trying not to wound your pride," Elyan smiles. "He knew you were upset about all that had happened and he didn't want to make it worse."

"He's a good friend." Gwen smiled.

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** Back in Camelot, Gwaine fights and wins, even after he loses his weapon. But his victory only wins him a loaf of bread and as Morgana tells him, he's going to have to do better than that if he wants more. In Ealdor, Merlin, Arthur, Isolde and Tristan have just entered the village. Merlin is soon greeted by his mother. Later that night, Merlin has finished treating Isolde wounds and Tristan thanks him for all his help. After Merlin has gone, Arthur apologies to Tristan, for brining this misfortune upon him and Tristan is simply glad he still has Isolde. Later that night Agravaine orders the Southrons to surround the village, telling them no one must escape.**

"Not one of my most honourable fights," Gwaine mutters. "But it got the job done."

Gaius smiles a small smile. "If Merlin was not destined for greater things, I sure he would have been the court physician, after I have passed on."

"Which will not be for many years, I am sure." Gwen smiles.

Tristan smiles as he takes Isolde's hand. "I would give up everything for Isolde... To have nearly lost her... I'll be forever grateful to Merlin for saving her."

"Agravaine..." Arthur mutters shaking his head.

**Back in the village, Merlin and his mother talk as they walk and Merlin apologies for not coming to visit. Hunith, tells her son she worries about him, with all the dangers he must face. Merlin tells his mother not to worry, but its a mother job to worry about their children or child in Hunith case. As they stop walking, Merlin asks how Gwen has been and Hunith tells him, a broken heart takes time to mend. Gwen has just finished rearranging Arthur bandages, when he wakes to see Gwen sitting beside him and the two of them hug. Outside Merlin and his mother are still talking, when screams sound and Merlin tells his mother, Agravaine has found them. As Arthur, Gwen, Isolde and Tristan flee round the back of the village, Merlin stays behind and casts a spell, causing a cart to start moving and catch fire. Agravaine only just jumps out the way in time. But he spots Arthur, Merlin and the others fleeing the village. And so the Southrons case them through the forest, away from the village. **

"Hunith," Gaius smiles, upon seeing his sister. "It has been too long since I last spoke to her... We spoke briefly at the tower, but not for as long as I would have liked, we have a lot of catching up to do... She'll never stop worrying about Merlin, even I can't help but worry about him. The trouble he gets himself into!"

Gwen smiles. "I am glad Hunith let me stay with her."

"Why Ealdor? The last time you saw Hunith was, when she came to Camelot after I was bitten by a questing beast." Arthur asks.

"After Merlin told you about Agravaine stealing the siege tunnel plans, he came back and found me," Gwen explains. "He told me to go to Ealdor, that his mother would take me in and it would be safe there... Merlin and I both knew Morgana had the plans to the siege tunnels, we both knew Camelot was not going to be safe for much longer... Going over the border was the safest option."

Gwaine grins. "And the perfect chance to get you and Arthur back together."

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur mutters, who was finding it slightly unnerving that Merlin seemed to have a plan for everything.

"How did you escape Agravaine and his men?" Elyan asks. "You had quite a lot following you."

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man, his name... Merlin.

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**Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Isolde and Tristan run through the forest. The Southrons and Agravaine were not far behind, were even gaining on them. Knowing they cannot outrun them for much longer, Merlin tells everyone to keep going and he'll cover their tracks. As soon as Arthur and the others are out of ear shot, Merlin summons the great dragon. As Agravaine and the Southrons enter a clearing, the great dragon drops from the sky and breathes fire over most of the men. Only Agravaine and a handful of men escape with their lives. Merlin quickly catches up with Arthur and the others, not knowing Agravaine and some men escaped the dragons attack.**

Everyone stared at the screen in shock, all but Gaius, who knew Merlin really would do anything to save those he cared about.

"He..." Arthur begins. "He just ordered a dragon to kill close to fifty men."

"He had no choice. If he hadn't we'd all be dead, Morgana didn't want us alive, she only wanted you Arthur. Agravaine would have had us killed." Tristan answers.

Isolde nodes her agreement. "I would do what ever it takes to keep the people I care about safe."

"He saved our lives Arthur," Gwen speaks up, she is shocked but she understood why Merlin did it. "It's no different to you ordering your knights or your army, to kill those who attack and kill your people... Merlin was protecting us with the only weapon he knew would work."

"I know..." Arthur mutters. "I just never thought Merlin would be capable of ordering the deaths of so many people... Sure he's killed, but never on that scale."

**As Merlin leads Arthur and the others into the caves, the great dragon flies round for a second attack and Agravaine and his men are forced to flee to the caves Merlin and the others have just entered. As they walk Gwen and Tristan talk and Gwen tells Tristan Arthur is a great king. Elsewhere Agravaine is gaining on them. Upon hearing Agravaine following them, Merlin goes back to leading them away and keep the others safe. Before Merlin goes, Arthur warns him not to do anything stupid. Merlin runs back through the tunnels, before jumping into Agravaine's path, with a cheery hello and runs. But Merlin runs into a dead-end and Agravaine and his men corner him.**

Gwaine shakes his head. "That's quite an achievement, be able to out run a dragon."

"It is, but they run straight to where Arthur, Gwen, Isolde, Tristan and Merlin were." Percival points out.

"I've got a feeling this isn't going to end well for Agravaine." Elyan mutters.

Leon nodes. "There's no way Agravaine will be able to kill Merlin... Merlin's magic is just too strong."

"Merlin is he strongest sorcerer who has ever lived or will ever live," Taliesin speaks up. "It takes more than a mortal weapon to kill him."

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**Agravaine thinks he has Merlin trapped and asks him where Arthur is, Merlin just tells him to be careful. Agravaine threatens to kill Merlin, but Merlin doesn't think so, as Agravaine charges at Merlin, Merlin uses magic to throw Agravaine and his men backwards. But as Merlin goes to leave, Agravaine gets back to his feet. Agravaine works out Merlin's Emrys, Merlin simply tells him that's what the druids call him and Agravaine knows it's been Merlin protecting Arthur all this time. He tells Merlin they are more alike than they think, they have both lied to Arthur. as Agravaine approaches Merlin, Merlin raises his hands in warning and Agravaine backs of slightly. Without warning Agravaine tries to run Merlin through with a dagger, but Merlin's magic reacts on instinct and Agravaine is thrown back once more, but this time he dies.**

"Some how I don't think trapping Merlin is a good idea." Elyan mutters.

Gwaine nodes. "He'll just be able to blast through them with magic and escape, or turn them all into toads, or-"

"Shut up, Gwaine!" Arthur snaps.

"He didn't use a spell," Percival points out. "He just blasted them back without even moving."

"He is powerful." Leon agrees.

"He killed my uncle," Arthur mutters. "He killed the traitor... For that I am thankful, in a way. As much as I wanted to kill my uncle, he was family... I don't think I could have done it."

**Elsewhere in the caves, Arthur decides to go back and find Merlin, much to the surprise of Tristan and pride of Gwen. Arthur quickly makes his way back to where Merlin had left them, he stops back against the wall and waits hearing someone walking towards him. He's just about to jump out when he sees its Merlin. Merlin knows Arthur came back to look for him even if he won't admit it. As they all make it out of the caves, Arthur not sure what he should do, Merlin thinks they should head back towards Camelot... If anyone had survived the battle they would be hiding in the woods there. Tristan again, does not act kindly to Arthur and Arthur decides to do what Merlin said. And so they set off, walking in the direction of Camelot.**

"You do care." Gwaine grins.

"Of course I do, he's my best friend," Arthur snaps. "And he was a half decent servant, there hard to come by... I want to waste time training a new servant."

"Unable to give Merlin a complement, huh?" Elyan mutters.

Arthur glares at Elyan. "That was complement."

Percival shakes his head. "You really need to work on your complements."

"Well, my lord, you're still going to have to train a new servant," Leon points out. "Unless of course George takes Merlin's place."

"Don't remind me about him." Arthur groans.

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**Back in Camelot, Gaius is growing weaker as Elyan tries to offer encouragement. Suddenly the cells doors are thrown open and Elyan tries to stop them from dragging Gwaine away, but is unable to. Morgana forces Gwaine to fight with a small wooden sword sharpened into a point, Gwaine just shrugs and prepares to fight. Elsewhere Gwen and Isolde sit on the forest floor, sharpening weapons, when Arthur walks past. As Arthur begins collecting fire wood, Tristan once again mocks him on the fact he's no longer king. As Tristan hands Merlin the fire wood, who setting up a fire next to Gwen and Isolde, Gwen notices Arthur is upset and goes after him. But he tells her what happened in Ealdor was a moment of weakness and that it can not happen again.**

Leon raises an eyebrow looking at Gwaine. "You won fighting with a wooden sword?"

"What can I say," Gwaine answers. "I'm just full lf surprises."

Elyan glances at Arthur. "You stopped your marriage with Mithian just so you could be with Gwen and then you turn Gwen away!"

"I had a lot on my mind, I just couldn't deal with what I would have to go through in order to forgive Gwen." Arthur answers.

"What happened between you and Gwen, happened in the past." Gaius speaks up. "It is your future you must work for. To relive the past will get you nowhere in the future."

**Back in Camelot Gwaine has won his fight and Morgana gives them a single loath of bread and warns them it will be their last. Gaius refuses to eat, telling Elyan, if Gwaine is to fight again he'll need all the strength he can get. Back in the forest, Merlin tries to cheer Arthur up, but Arthur tell Merlin Tristan is right, there's nothing special about him. Arthur leaves after telling Merlin the people will have to find a new king. As soon as night has fallen, Merlin finds a clearing and summons the great dragon. After thanking Kilgharrah for his help, Merlin tells him Arthur has lost the will to fight and no longer believes he should be king. Kilgharrah tells Merlin he must make Arthur believe in himself once more or Camelot will fall and when Merlin asks how, he doesn't get a straight answers. But once Merlin thinks about he comes up with a plan, Merlin asks Kilgharrah if he can find those who fled Camelot and Kilgharrah answers he can, so they have no time to lose.**

"You gave up?" Elyan questions. "We never gave up hope, that you would free us!"

"I know." Arthur answers. "But to me, all hope seemed lost."

Percival shakes his head slightly. "I'm just glad Merlin never gave up."

"As am I," Leon answers. "That night he found me and told me where to meet him the following day and to gather as many people as I could find."

"What was Merlin's plan?" Gwaine asks.

Gwen smiles. "To make Arthur believe he was the king the people knew him to be."

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**The following morning Merlin wakes Arthur up and tells him, there is something he needs to show him. As they walk Merlin tells him a story about a king who placed a sword in a stone and how only the true king of Camelot could pull it out. After Arthur tells Merlin the story is a load of rubbish, Merlin shows Arthur Excalibur, sticking out of a rock, in the middle of a clearing. As Merlin and Arthur approach the stone, everyone who escaped Camelot and Morgana step from the trees. Merlin quickly tells Arthur he's the true king and he is able to pull the sword from the stone, when Arthur questions what Merlin is planning. Arthur draws his own sword and stabs it into the forest floor before walking and standing before the stone.**

Gaius shakes his head. "I would have been more surprised is that boy had said it wasn't a story I had told him."

"You are the only knowledgeable person on such myths," Leon answer. "If anyone was to know of a story lost in the great purge it would be you."

"Plus, Merlin couldn't really tell Arthur how the sword ended up in the stone." Gwaine adds.

Percival shakes his head. "Merlin could have told the truth... Arthur would never have believed him."

"Merlin used magic didn't he?" Arthur asks.

**After Merlin tells Arthur to have faith, after a failed attempt to pull the sword free, Arthur truly believes he can do it and Merlin releases the spell he cast to embed the sword in the stone and Arthur pulls it free with ease. As the knight and people of Camelot chant 'long live the king', Merlin smiles to himself, with a slight node, he had done his job and Arthur once again had faith in himself. Back in Camelot, Helios has just informed Morgana of what happened to Agravaine and the men with him. Morgana knows this is the work of Emrys. Back in the forest, Arthur walks with Merlin, Percival, Leon and Isolde, while Tristan listens from the place he stands by a tree. Leon tells Arthur, it's not Camelot the people fight for, it's him. Percival, Leon and Merlin all agree they would ride into the mouth of hell for him. Isolde and Tristan share a look.**

"Is their actually anything I've done on my own?" Arthur asks. "Or has Merlin helped with everything I do?"

"Do you want the honest answer?" Gwaine laughs.

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Shut up, Gwaine."

"You asked princess." Gwaine grins.

Arthur smiles slightly. "What have I done to deserve such loyalty from all of you?"

"You are our king, Arthur," Gwen answers. "You put the people first and you protect them no matter the odds. And it return the people give you their love and their respect."

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**Later that night, Isolde who is cleaning the wound on her arm, is given a bunch of flowers by Tristan as he walks past. She notices Gwen watching and quickly goes after her and they talk. Isolde notices Gwen is watching Arthur and tells her to never give up hope, love is stronger than anything. Across the camp, Merlin catches up with Arthur and they talk. Arthur tells Merlin it's Morgana they have to worry about, not the Southrons... After all the Southrons do not have magic. Merlin tells Arthur there was another part of Gaius's story, the king who pulled the sword from the stone would unite the land of Albion. That night while everyone is asleep, Merlin leaves the camp, a knowing and determined smile on his face.**

"Nothing to answer Morgana's power with!" Gwaine exclaimed. "We have the mighty Emrys on our side."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "If I had known about Merlin's magic, I wouldn't have been as worried..."

"You would have been worried for Merlin though." Elyan points out.

"I can't help but worry about Merlin," Arthur answers. "We all worry about Merlin."

Gwen nodes. "Even though Merlin's powerful, he had no one to watch his back... He has no one to protect him, like he protects us."

**Not long after Merlin has left the camp, Merlin hides from a Southron patrol, before entering the castle through a siege tunnel. Once inside he casts a spell to turn himself into Dragoon the great and makes his way through the castle. As Dragoon makes his way through the castle, he's spotted by Morgana, who panics. Helios and some guards quickly chase after Dragoon. The alarm bell is soon sounding and Merlin quickly loses Helios and the guards, he knew Camelot castle far better than they did. He enters Morgana's chamber and pulls out a stew doll and quickly casts a spell on it. Returning to the corridor, Merlin quickly takes the cloths off the guard he knocked out. Helios and some guards run down the stairs, whilst a lone Southron walks up them, who actually turns out to be Merlin in disguise.**

"Now Merlin's ever really brave or really stupid," Leon mutters. "I don't know many who would risk entering an enemy castle on their own."

Gwaine grins. "I must admit, even I would think twice about doing that on my own."

"You can think!" Elyan couldn't help but mock.

"Morgana really fears him, doesn't she?" Tristan mutters. "Merlin probably could have just scared Morgana out of Camelot."

"She has ever right to fear him," Taliesin speaks up. "Emrys is her doom."

Arthur shakes his head. "Disguising yourself as the enemy, that is the oldest trick in the book."

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**After Helios convinces Morgana to get some sleep, Morgana lies down on her bed and is completely unaware it will lead to her down fall. Because under her bed is the straw doll Merlin enchanted, still whispering and smoking slightly. The following morning, Merlin stands almost in a trance like state as Arthur clicks his figures in front of his face and as soon as Arthur has walked away, Merlin returns to his trance like state. Elsewhere in the camp Tristan and Isolde approach Arthur and offer to fight at Arthur side, to say Arthur is pleased, is an understatement. Not long after that, Gwen approaches Arthur and tells him, if anything were to happen to either one of them, she just wanted him to know, she never stopped loving him. And so everyone stands ready to take back Camelot. Arthur raises his sword and the battle begins.**

"What did that doll do?" Elyan asks, the last time they had seen a straw doll, was when Mary Collins killed lady Helen.

"The spell Merlin Emrys cast," Taliesin explains. "Bound Morgana's magic, meaning she was unable to use it."

Arthur nodes. "In the throne room Morgana was unable to do any magic."

"Why was Merlin so zoned out like that?" Gwen asks, concerned for his health.

"The spell Merlin used," Gaius explains. "He bound to his own power... With his magic being fed into a spell such a large distance away from him, it required more of his power and more of his focus."

Leon shakes his head. "Isn't that a nit dangerous?"

**Leon with the help of some archers, take out the Southrons on watch. Percival with the help of Isolde and Tristan, take out the patrol within the city walls. Arthur, Gwen and Merlin take out the patrol outside the city walls. By the time the warning bell sounds, everyone fighting for Camelot is already within the castle walls. Helios quickly informs Morgana of Arthur return and they go to greet him. Tristan and Isolde fight side by side. Percival fights his way through any Southron that comes his way. Finally Percival and Leon reach the dungeons and free the knights being held there, as Percival frees Gwaine and Elyan he checks on Gaius who is still alive but only just. Elsewhere Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Isolde and Tristan have made it to the throne room, where Morgana and Helios are waiting for them.**

Gwaine grins. "Morgana never saw you coming."

"The element of surprise was out greatest weapon." Percival replies.

"And the fact we came up with a plan," Leon adds. "That made sure no scouts or patrols could warn Morgana or Helios about the attack."

Arthur nodes. "If the plan hadn't worked, retaking Camelot would have been a lot harder."

"Being trapped in a cell with me, isn't that bad." Gwaine pouts slightly.

"No, it isn't bad," Elyan agrees, jokingly. "It's horrible."

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**Morgana and Arthur confront each other, Morgana warns Arthur not even Emrys can save him now, but as Morgana casts a spell, it doesn't work and Merlin smiles slightly as he shifts. The sudden increase of power needed to bind Morgana's magic, was what caused him to shift slightly and as Morgana casts another spell, she knows Emrys has done something. As Morgana flees, Arthur orders Gwen and Merlin to go after her, leaving him, Isolde and Tristan to fight Helios and the Southrons. As Morgana fights her way through the castle, she is injuries badly by a knight. Back in the throne room, Helios is about to kill Arthur, when Isolde stabs him from behind. But before Helios dies, he spins round and drives his sword into her side, in shock she turns to face Tristan before falling to the ground.**

"Do you think she still would have gone after the throne, if the ban on magic had been lifted?" Elyan asks.

Leon shrugs. "I don't know... It's possible she might have."

"She wanted to free magic," Taliesin speaks up. "But her hate and her inner darkness would have driven her to claim the throne... The death of Morgause, destroyed the last of the goodness she had in her heart."

"But she is right... I didn't free magic when I became king. I never showed Morgana and her kind she was welcome in Camelot... I think there was some goodness left in her and if I had lifted the ban, maybe we could have got the old Morgana back." Arthur speaks up.

Tristan shakes his head. "Someone who burns the crops of innocent and defenceless people just because they refuse to swear alliance, has no goodness in their heart. She had the immortal army shot innocent people, to try and make the knights swear alliance... Someone who has goodness in their heart does not do that."

"Merlin ordered a dragon to kill close to a hundred men," Arthur points out. "How is that any different."

"Southrons are far from innocent," Tristan replies. "Death is too kind for most of them!"

Percival thinks for a moment. "I though high priestess couldn't be killed by moral blades?"

"They cannot," Taliesin answers. "There magic stops mortal weapons from harming them. But Morgana's power was bound to the doll, allowing her to be injured and killed."

"Helios nearly killed you Arthur, you were saved by Isolde... You've been beaten by a girl and saved by a girl." Elyan grins.

**Elsewhere in the castle Gwen and Morgana have just come face to face with each other. As the two of them fight, Gwen asks Morgana what did she do to make Morgana hate her so much and Morgana simply tell Gwen she can never allow her to do, what she's destined to do. As Morgana goes to kill Gwen, she suddenly burst back, as part of the ceiling collapses. Merlin appears behind Gwen and asks her if she's alright, before walking forward to see what happened to Morgana, but she's gone. Gwen and Merlin return to the great hall, the knights of the round table and Gaius not far behind them. Merlin and Gaius share a look and Gaius shakes his head. Suddenly Merlin bolts from the room, telling the others he can save her. While Elyan and Leon are just confused, Isolde is dead.**

Gwen shakes her head. "She wanted me dead, just because I'm destined to be queen."

"You are going to be queen." Elyan points out.

"And the greatest queen this land will ever know," Arthur adds, smiling slightly. "You are the once and future queen."

Gwaine grins. "How has Merlin never been caught? He was standing right behind Gwen, when he cast that spell."

"He didn't use a spell." Leon points out.

"Gwen would only have known if she turned round and saw him," Percival adds. "But with Morgana about to kill her, Gwen had more important things to worry about."

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**Running Merlin heads straight for the dungeons, he orders the guards to bring a prisoner to the council hall and they do so, believing there acting under the kings orders. As Merlin explains to save a life a life must be taken, Gaius begs Merlin not to do this. Merlin takes Isolde's body from Tristan and moves to the centre of the hall, before resting her down. Summoning the cup of life, Merlin commands a storm to life outside and the weather is soon raging. A bolt of lightning bursts through the glass less window and bursts the prisoner to pile of ash. Once the cup has filled with rainwater, which was streaming through the windows, Merlin kneels down beside Isolde and trips the water into her mouth. After a couple of seconds Isolde starts breathing and Tristan rushes forward and once again takes Isolde in his arms.**

"Why did the guards even think I ordered the prisoner to be bought to me?" Arthur asks. "We had just retaken Camelot, they had just returned to their posts and were sequencing Southrons that had been caught!"

"They couldn't not do what Merlin said, if they hadn't listened to Merlin and it had been your orders they would have been punished." Leon points out.

Elyan looks at Gaius. "You would have let Isolde die, just so Merlin didn't have to give away his secret?"

"To me Merlin's life will always be more important," Gaius answers. "I feared if Merlin saved Isolde he would have been killed."

"I wouldn't have let him die." Gwaine speaks up.

Gaius shakes his head. "At the time you were in no fit state to save him. You were half staved and only just supporting you're own weight, you physically wouldn't have had the strength."

**As Tristan and Isolde talk, Merlin glances at Gaius, but looks at no one else. Suddenly Tristan yells Merlin's name as a hooded figure appears behind him. But before Merlin can do anything, he knocked out with a spell and Merlin and the hooded figure disappear in a whirlwind. Some time later after being taken from Camelot, Merlin groans as he opens his eyes and finds himself next to the bridge to the perilous lands. Grettir greets him and Merlin is given the task of restoring the perilous lands to their former state of health. And after being given the staff of Emrys by Grettir and greeted by Alator, the hooded figure who took him from Camelot, that what Merlin does. **

"It was Alator," Isolde mutters. "He truly is loyal to Merlin."

"All those who believe in the prophecy will support Emrys," Taliesin speaks up. "There are not many who would risk facing Emrys in battle."

Everyone watches in shock as Merlin restores the perilous lands, the magic he used was powerful... Really, really, really powerful.

"The perilous lands," Gwen mutters. "How did he have the power, even with the staff, to restore it?"

"Merlin is the strongest sorcerer to have and will ever walk this earth," Gaius speaks up. "Even the prophecies do not state the limitations of his power. But Merlin is young, he still has a long way to go before he is the great warlock the prophecies speak of... To gain such knowledge will take a life time of study."

"Well he well on his way to becoming the greatest warlock..." Percival mutters, in awe.

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. I'm glad to say I have just started writing 'Arthur's Bane - Part one' which will be published as soon as this story is completed, so look out for that if you're interested.**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997. **


	55. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-four: Meetings and peace talks in Powys.

Merlin enters the council hall, Freya walked beside him and behind them the others walked. Jared was bound with the enchanted ropes Merlin and Freya had been bound with, while Bercilak and Gilli walked either side of him, to make sure he didn't escape. Kara and Eira walked only a couple them, hands resting on their weapons and ready for any sudden attack. Behind them walked Tyr and Daegal, supporting Sefa, who had been injured in the fight.

Ruadan stepped forward at the sight of his daughter.

"How did this happen?" He demands.

Sefa quickly answers. "I'm fine, father, we were forced to attack and kill some Orcs close to the outlying villages."

The head councilman walks forward. "You have a prisoner. GUARDS!"

A small group of guards enter the hall and quickly take Jared from between Bercilak and Gilli.

"Take him to the dungeons. His trial will be at dawn tomorrow." The head councilman informs the guards and the council, before turning to Merlin. "You will not be required to attended, due to a prearranged event."

Merlin nodes. "Thank you... I have some information I think the council would like to hear."

"Then speak." The head councilman nodes.

Merlin steps forward so he stands before the council. "When we reached the outlying villages, Freya and I were caught by Orcs. When we were taken to the village Jared and the Ocrs were using as a base, among the dead were men from Amata... Their cloaks bore no crest, but amount their person they carried the seal of king Sarrum."

The council instantly started yelling, talking and arguing among themselves. Merlin turns and holds out his hand, with flash of his eyes a purple cloak, a ring bearing king Sarrum seal and a letter sealed by the royal markings of Amata, appear in Merlin's hands. He hands them to the head councilman.

The head councilman takes them. "This could mean war, we must be ready to fight a war on two fronts."

"We cannot fight a war on to front," A councilman speaks up. "Our forces would be spread to thin. All those able to fight must be fighting against Mordred and his army if we are to have any hope of winning!"

"We may have no choice, if King Arthur of Camelot signs the treaty with King Sarrum of Amata, we will be at war." The head councilman answers.

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Merlin stood in the council hall, Freya and the others had gone, along with the council. But Merlin still had things he needed to do, tomorrow he was getting married and he still hadn't made any preparations or plans. He needed to ask a druid elder to conduct the hand fasting ceremony and get a messenger to take an invitation to Gaius, in the hopes he'd be able to attend the wedding.

The head councilman had also informed him, before the council were dismissed, that he was to attend a feast in Powys tonight. King Olaf was holding a feast, King Godwin and king Rodor would be attending. All three kings had agreed to sign a peace treaty, so now all Merlin had to do was attend the feast and hope it went well. King Olaf and king Godwin, like Queen Annis, held little respect for King Sarrum and often sided themselves with those who held no alliance with Sarrum.

Merlin spun on his heels as the door behind him opened and Iseldir entered.

"Emrys." Iseldir bows his head.

Merlin smiles and returns the gesture. "Iseldir."

"I trust you are well." Iseldir speaks, having heard about the fight with the Orcs.

"I'm fine," Merlin answers. "But that's not the reason I asked you to come here... I wanted to ask you a question."

Iseldir nodes. "I'll answer to the best of my knowledge."

"It's about the wedding tomorrow." Merlin answers, shaking his head slightly.

"There is nothing to worry about Emrys," Iseldir answers, calmly. "The ceremony is straight forward."

Merlin shakes his head again. "I'm not worried about that... I wanted to asks you if you could conduct the ceremony."

Iseldir stares at Merlin for a moment, speechless.

"I have to choice a druid elder to conduct the ceremony," Merlin explains, trying to fill the silence. "You are the only druid elder I know... I mean I know the other elders, of course I do, I'm the druid king... What I mean is, you're the only druid elder I would trust, as a friend, to conduct the ceremony."

"It would be my honour, Emrys." Iseldir answers.

At that moment the door opens once more and Alator enters the hall.

"Alator." Merlin greets.

Alator nodes. "Merlin. Iseldir. I trust I'm not interrupting?"

"No," Merlin shakes his head. "I wanted to asks you both about the ceremony tomorrow."

"What about the ceremony?" Alator asks.

Merlin shifted slightly. "I wanted to asks, if you could be present for the ceremony... The only family I have is my mother, my uncle and Alice... And Freya has no family... So could you be there for the ceremony."

Alator thinks for a moment. "I will have to speak with the Catha members, we leave for the mountains at dawn... But I would be honoured to attended."

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Merlin sighed from his place on Zafira's back, as they flew towards Powys. These peace talks were important and gaining peace with King Olaf, King Godwin and King Rodor would offer Peryglus great protection from the likes of King Sarrum and his army. A war on two fronts was highly likely, even with alliances with four other kingdoms, King Sarrum could still declare war, if Arthur signed the treaty.

Merlin knew it was unlikely Arthur would sign the treaty. The last time Merlin had spoken to Arthur, he had accepted his magic and was even planning on lifting the ban... But Arthur hadn't seen everything. There were many things Merlin had done that he wasn't proud of, but sometimes doing things you're not proud of, is the only way to succeed.

Merlin had been surprised, when the council told him King Olaf was expecting him to arrive on a dragon. But then news of the last dragon lord was in fact Balinor's son had spread fast. And the fact this dragon lord was also the mighty Emrys and the king of the druids, also gave people more things to gossip about. It seemed everyone knew who he was now... To think only a week and a not before people only knew him as a servant.

_'You're nervous.' _Zafira suddenly speaks in his head.

Merlin shakes his head. _'No, I'm petrified.'_

Zafira considers this for a moment. _'You've been to peace talks before, so why fear it?'_

_'I don't fear the talks,' _Merlin tries to explain. _'I fear I will fail... If I fail to gain peace with these three kingdoms, I'll be endangering the lives of my people and the people of Peryglus even more than I already have.'_

_'You did not start the war with Mordred the dark.' _Zafira points out.

Merlin sighs. _'None of this would be happening if had killed Morgana when I had the chance... I had more than one opportunity to kill her, but I could not bring myself to do it... I felt too guilty, she became what I made her.'_

_'She cho__se her own path,' _Zafira answers. _'You did not make her turn against Camelot, she chose to side with Morgause... Killing someone is cannot easy, I have seen how you hate doing it. To kill someone who was once a friend, when you can still see what they once were and still wish to see the good in them, couldn't make it any easier.'_

_'Are dragons born with wisdom?'_ Merlin questions, shaking his head slightly.

_'We are born with knowledge,'_ Zafira replies. 'And_ that knowledge gives us a greater understanding of the world.'_

Merlin rolls his eyes slightly. _'You may have great knowledge, but wisdom doesn't always come with knowledge... Sometimes true wisdom comes from those who know the least, but have lived the most.'_

Suddenly Zafira folds her wings in close to her body and enters a dive. Merlin lets out a yelp of surprise and grabs the saddle and lies low against Zafira's back. As they drop through the clouds, Merlin gasps at the sight of the castle they were fast approaching. Powys was well-known for the castle king Olaf lived in, it was a mighty looking thing.

Grey stone walls and towering turrets, a large court yard, home to a statue of king Olaf and his daughter. Gothic arch styled windows looked down on the court-yard, most of the glass were coloured and held the crest of Powys. Great oak doors marked the entrance to the castle, while the steps leading to the doors were smaller than the steps in Camelot, they didn't seem out-of-place.

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As Zafira landed in the courtyard, many of the knights and guards jumped and turned to face them, weapons at the ready. At that moment a young knight came bursting out the castle, almost tripping over their cloak and looking much like a startled deer. Behind him King Olaf walked, his face red with anger and his shoulders tense. Even though the young knight was running, King Olaf seemed to be gaining on him.

"If you so much as speak to _my _daughter again, I swear-" King Olaf cut himself off as he spotted Merlin still sitting on Zafira's back.

"Merlin Emrys, king of the druids and lord of the dragons," King Olaf, bellows across the court-yard, his voice surprisingly cheerful. "Welcome to Powys!"

Merlin smiled slightly, as he jumped down from Zafira's back. "King Olaf of Powys, I am glad I am welcomed within your kingdom... For give me for saying, but the five kingdoms have never before been this welcoming of me and my kind."

King Olaf waves his hand in dismissive gesture. "Times are changing, Emrys... You kind was once shunned and prosecuted within this very kingdom. But in the time of my father, magic was once a great force within this kingdom, it did much good, it is time such goodness to enter the kingdom again."

"To welcome magic would dishonour the treaty you signed with the late King Uthur Pendragon," Merlin points out. "It would break the alliance between the five kingdoms."

"Sometimes change is needed... There can be not future if you forever practice the ways of the past." King Olaf answers, saddened by the mention of his dead friend.

Merlin nodes, still a bit uneasy at the fact he was about to enter talks with kings who had one or another hunted his kind. "Wise words, I will grant you that... But words alone do not right the wrongs of the past."

King Olaf laughs. "Indeed they do not... Never before have I seen such wisdom in someone so young, I can see why the druids honour you as their king."

Merlin turned to Zafira. "_I will call to you if I am in need of aid."_

_"And I will answers your call... I will pull this castle apart brick by brick of they so much a harm you."_

_"What did I do to deserve such loyalty?" _Merlin asks, shaking his head slightly.

_"You are my rider, our bond is one that can never be broken." _Zafira answers taking to the air in one powerful leap. _"Be carefully, hatchlings, and good luck."_

Merlin smiled and turned back toward King Olaf before walking over to him. King Olaf who was watching the sky as Zafira vanished into the clouds turns to look at Merlin once more and jumps ever so slightly as he sees how close Merlin is now to him.

"The talks are about to begin," King Olaf explains. "Talks of peace that will hopefully change the future for the better."

Merlin follows king Olaf into the castle, knowing things in Albion would soon be changing for the better. The golden age truly was blossoming and Merlin couldn't help but smile, if he hadn't saved Isolde none of this would be happening. Arthur would never have found out about his magic, many kingdoms wouldn't be thinking about changing their laws on magic and those with magic wouldn't have a kingdom to call their own... But like everything this came with a price.

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. And Quill, don't worry about it, I'm always misspelling names :/**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	56. Chapter 55

Chapter fifty-five: King Sarrum of Amata.

It was only a couple of hours after dawn and Arthur was already awake and pacing up and down his room, stepping every now and again to look out the window. Last night after they had seen the last of Merlin's adventures in Camelot, Taliesin had returned them to the castle and everyone had gone back to their room. Elyan had kindly let his sister share his room for the night, until a guest room was set up for her, the following day.

Arthur sighed. It was times like this, he needed Merlin's advice. But Merlin wasn't here and probably wouldn't return to Camelot until the ban on magic was lifted. Arthur walked over to his chair and collapsed into his seat. That was another thing he really needed Merlin's advice on... He wanted to lift the ban on magic, he owed that much to Merlin. It was going to take time and if he bought it up before the council too soon, they'd all be yelling he'd been enchanted.

Arthur put his head in his hands. He and his father had done so much damage, and now Arthur was truly retreating all that he had done. What he said at the druid shrine had been the truth, for mouths after it had happened, ever night he fell asleep he would relive what he saw happen there... What he ordered to happened there. He had followed his father orders without question, time and time again. So many he now knew to be innocent had died, died at the Pendragon's hand.

And all this started because Uthur was to blinds to see the true price that came with using magic... Everything came with a price. And the price had been the death of a Queen. The death of a wife. The death of mother. The death of a once noble and fair king. The price was far greater than just one women death. It was the death of hundreds, if not thousands of people. People who had done no wrong, people who had only used magic for good.

Arthur got to his feet and walked back over to the window. He couldn't undo what he had done, but he could make sure the future never had to face the horrors of the past. The horrors of the great purge and the pain that was bought with it. Never again would families be ripped apart by the flames, for crimes they had not committed. The laws against magic had to be changed and so did the sentence.

Arthur shakes his head. He couldn't ask for forgiveness. Some of the things he had done were unforgivable. He felt ashamed that he had followed his father's teaching so blindly... Maybe if he hadn't been so desperate to prove himself to his father, to his men, to his people, many things would have been different. Maybe if he had just said a single thing differently, Morgana wouldn't have feared him.

Maybe she could have trusted him. He would never have turned her over to his father, as much as he hated magic at the time, he would never have sent Morgana to the flames. Maybe if she had trusted him, she would never have turned to Morgause and followed the path she had taken. He could blame Merlin for hot helping her and not telling he had magic too, but it should never have been left to Merlin to do...

Arthur was her family, her half-brother, even if it was only known by their father at the time. It should have been Arthur's job to protect here and help her, not Merlin's or Gaius's... She should have been able to turn to him, to trust him and she hadn't been able to. Merlin, he knew, blamed himself for what happened to Morgana. But everyone played a part in what Morgana became, even if the final choice was hers.

Arthur turns away from the window, as the door to his chamber opens and George walks in. He was going to make the future into the golden age the prophecies spoke of... He might not be able to unite the lands, but he could make Camelot a place where everyone would feel welcome and happy. But first Arthur needed to make sure Merlin and his kingdom of magic users were safe. He needed to break the alliance with King Sarrum.

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Arthur stood in the council chamber, around the table stood his most trusted knights and councilman. Arthur couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that Gaius wasn't present, but he had received a message from Peryglus and had left not long after dawn. Gwen also wasn't present, a couple of maids were helping her set up her room and she wouldn't be able to attend council until she was queen.

Suddenly the door to the council chamber were pulled open and King Amata and his men entered the room, taking their places at the other end of the table.

"King Sarrum." Arthur greets.

Sarrum nodes a greeting. "King Arthur."

There was silence for a moment as Arthur and Sarrum just glared at each other. Finally Geoffrey clears his throat and steps forward.

"This is Camelot's copy of the treaty your father and king Sarrum signed." Geoffrey explains as he hands the copy to Arthur.

Reading the treaty, Arthur was more than surprised his father had signed a treaty such as this. Uthur had always wanted to be the one in control and this treaty allowed king Sarrum to use Camelot as a safe passage for as many armed men as he liked, as long as he was in pursuit of magic users. Arthur shook his head slightly, there was no way Arthur to agree to a treaty like this... Not if he wanted to save Peryglus from war with king Sarrum.

"I will not agree to some of the terms on this treaty," Arthur speaks up. "A new treaty will have to be drawn up."

"Your father agreed to such terms," Sarrum speaks. "And your father was a great king, his achievements in the fight against magic were to be envied."

"You are mistaken if you think I wild agree to such a treaty of this," Arthur answers. "I am not my father. My father was a great and strong king in many ways, but he made mistakes. I believe the war on sorcery he started on magic was a mistake and something that should never have happened."

"Magic killed your mother. Magic killed your father. Your half-sister is a witch and she has claimed this kingdom as her own twice." king Sarrum snaps.

"My fathers desperation for a son and using a power he did not understand, killed my mother." Arthur replies trying to keep his cool. "My father was dying, he was too close to death for the magic used to save him. My half-sister chose her path, she could have stayed loyal to Camelot, but she did not... Her fear of our father and what he would do, if he ever found out about her drove her down a path of hatred and madness."

Sarrum only just manages to conceals his sneer. "Your own manservant was found to be a sorcerer, who knows how much information he leaked to your enemies."

"I think you'll find my ex-manservant, was in fact a warlock, not a sorcerer." Arthur answers, as a servant bought forward a sheet of paper, bottle of ink and a white feather quill.

"What?" Sarrum demands. "He had magic that is all that matters! It doesn't matter what they call themselves, they all practice the devils art!"

Arthur shakes his head. "A warlock is someone who is born with magic, the same as a witch, they have no choice on the matter of whether they have magic or not. A sorcerer or sorceress learns magic through choice."

"They are evil," Sarrum growls. "You and your court have fallen prey to this _warlocks _enchantments. Uthur would never have let this happen when he was king!"

"And as I told you before. I. Am. Not. My. Father." Arthur replies. "Me and my court have not been enchanted, I simply am not blinded by the hatred you seem so consumed by."

Elyan, Gwaine and Percival all smile, as King Sarrum face grows a brighter shade of red by the second. Whilst Leon and the council seemed more concerned about Arthur starting a war with Amata, king Sarrum certainly seemed angry enough to start a war! But even though Camelot was still recovering from Morgana's latest take over, the kingdom was in no way weak.

"May I make a suggestion?" Leon speaks up.

Arthur nodes. "Of course, Leon."

"We should continue these talks later, it will give time for Geoffrey to draw up a new peace treaty."

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Arthur, Elyan, Gwaine, Percival and Leon return to Arthur's chambers. They quickly take a seat at the table, as George quickly leaves in search of Geoffrey, to inform him the new treaty would be drawn up in the Arthur's chambers, not the council hall. Leon glances at Arthur, who wasn't laying much attention and appeared to be deep in though.

"My lord," Leon speaks up. "I know you wish to change the laws on magic. But you cannot afford to anger King Sarrum, we can not afford a war with such a powerful kingdom."

"Do you think, if we go to war with them, we will lose?" Arthur questions.

Leon shakes his head. "I have no doubt we would win, but a what loses? Our kingdom has already suffered enough at the hand of Morgana and the Southrons."

"I can't sign the treaty with Sarrum," Arthur answers. "And I cannot let Sarrum march an army through our kingdom unchanged."

"Peryglus is a kingdom of magic users," Percival points out. "Their border will be protected by magic."

Arthur shakes his head. "Merlin and his kingdom is at war in the north... They cannot afford to fight battle on the opposite border."

"If you don't sign the treaty, what will Sarrum do?" Elyan asks.

"I don't know," Arthur answers. "I don't believe he would start a war... But why did my father even agree to such a treaty? It left him almost completely powerless, Ling Sarrum could have just marched an army through the kingdom as long as it was in pursuit of magic!"

Gwaine thinks for a moment. "Get Merlin."

"What?" Elyan asks. "How will that help?"

"If King Sarrum sees Merlin signing a peace treaty with Arthur, he'd want nothing to do with Camelot," Gwaine explains. "He wouldn't attack us, because Queen Annis also has a treaty with Merlin."

Leon nodes. "That would work... King Sarrum wouldn't risk war with a kingdom such a Caerleon."

"Then that's what we'll do." Arthur agrees.

"Merlin is only the king of the druids," Leon points out. "He's not the ruler of Peryglus."

"But I doubt Sarrum would know that." Percival answers. "Merlin is a part of the ruling council."

"But how are we going to get a message to Merlin?" Elyan asks.

"Leave that to me." Gwaine grins. "I know a way they will work just fine."

Suddenly someone knocks on the door to Arthur's chamber.

"Come in." Arthur calls.

The door open and Geoffrey steps into the room.

"You required me to write a treaty with Amata, my lord?" Geoffrey question. "What are the terms of the treaty?"

"There's been a change of plan Geoffrey," Arthur explains. "I now require you to write a treaty for King Merlin Emrys of the druids and myself to sign."

Geoffrey smiles slightly, with a bow of his head. "Of course, my lord."

As Geoffrey sets down his writing supplies, Arthur could have sworn he muttered 'the time of the once and future king has truly begun'.

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. Next chapter should be up in the next few days (hopefully)**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	57. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-six: The druid wedding.

Iseldir stood before the small group, which made up Freya's and Merlin's family. Hunith and Gaius were the only two who were of blood relation, but with them stood Alice, Terrance and Alator. With Freya having no family of her own, still alive, Gaius and Alice had agreed to stand as her parental figures, while Hunith and Alator stood for Merlin and well Terrance had somehow found himself part of their odd family.

Behind Iseldir stood an altar, in the centre of a stone circle. The altar itself was covered in a black and gold Celtic Triquetra cloth and upon it incense, a small dish of salt, a small bowl of water, an athame and two royal blue, silver and gold binding cord lay. Everything was ready for the ceremony and many druids were gathered around the clearing close to the tree line and eager to see the wedding take place.

Iseldir himself, felt honoured. As the preparations for the ceremony were being made, Merlin had asked Iseldir if he would conduct the ceremony, he was after all the only druid elder Merlin knew well. All druids were taught the prophecies from a young age, so to be asked to conduct Emrys' wedding to the lady of the lake was one of the greatest honours around.

Taking a deep breath, upon seeing Gwen appear, Iseldir begins. "Greetings and welcome."

"Greetings and welcome." Hunith, Alice, Gwen, Gaius, Alator and Terrance answer.

Iseldir then walks to the east-facing stone and speaks.

"We call upon thee,

Ancient and mythical element of air,

Join us and bless this union!"

Iseldir then walks to the south-facing stone and speaks.

"We call upon thee,

Ancient and mythical element of fire,

Join us and bless this union!"

Iseldir then walks to the west-facing stone and speaks.

"We call upon thee,

Ancient and mythical element of water,

Join us and bless this union!"

Iseldir then walks to the north-facing stone and speaks.

"We call upon thee,

Ancient and mythical element of earth,

Join us and bless this union!"

Iseldir then walks back to where Hunith, Alice, Gaius, Alator and Terrance are standing and takes Hunith's hand.

"In what manner do you enter this circle?" Iseldir asks.

"In perfect love and perfect trust." Hunith answers and enters the circle of stones, still holding Iseldir's hand, before letting go, walking around the circle of stones and returning to where Iseldir had stood before and taking Alator's hand.

"In what manner do you enter this circle?" Hunith asks.

"In perfect love and perfect trust." Alator answers and enters the circle of stones and repeating what Hunith had done, before taking Alice's hand.

"In what manner do you enter the circle?" Alator asks.

"In perfect love and perfect trust." Alice answers and enters the circle of stones and repeating what Hunith and Alator had done, before taking Gaius's hand.

"In what manner do you enter the circle?" Alice asks.

"In perfect love and perfect trust." Gaius answers and enters the circle of stones and repeating what Hunith, Alator and Alice had done before taking Gwen's hand.

"In what manner do you enter the circle?" Gaius asks.

"In perfect love and perfect trust." Gwen answers, resting what everyone else had said, and hoping it was the correct thing to say. This was her first time at a druid wedding. Doing what everyone else before her had done, Gwen walks around the circle before returning to where Gaius had stood before and taking Terrance's hand.

"In what manner do you enter the circle?" Gwen asks.

"In perfect love and perfect trust." Terrance answers before walking around the circle of stones.

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Once everyone has entered the circle, Iseldir walks to the north side of the circle where Freya and Merlin now stand.

He acknowledges them both before speaking.

"In the beginning, a seed is planted.

Nourished and cared for, it stings and sprouts to life.

It continues to grow, strengthening and maturing day by day, enduring and overcoming the hardships of life.

When the time comes, it blossoms, transcending forwards into the next stage of life.

This is not unlike the love between two people, for love will grow and endure from just a seed.

Given the nourishment and care that it needs, it will grow as strong as the might oak."

Iseldir pauses for a second before continuing. "Merlin Emrys and Freya of Avalon, you stand with in the circle, a symbol that lies within all life."

Turning to Merlin, he speak. "Merlin Emrys, do you stand before the elements of life, of your own free will?"

"I do." Merlin answers.

Turning to Freya, Iseldir asks. "Freya of Avalon, do you stand belles the elements of life, of your own free will?"

"I do." Freya answers.

"Proceed you both now, thrice around the circle, starting you journey ahead."

Merlin and Freya walk around the circle three times but in opposite directions and without touching each other. Once they have walked around the circle they stand before the altar facing north, whilst Iseldir stands before them and Hunith, Alice, Alator, Gaius and Terrance form a circle around them.

"You both stand before me and all that is life, side by side within the circle, both here of your own free will." Iseldir speaks. "Turn, now, to face each other."

Merlin and Freya turn to face each other, both holding out their hands palm up and Iseldir makes a small cut on each of their palms with the athame, before wrapping the hand fasting cord around their, now joined hands and wrists.

"As your blood runs together, flowing and mixing, joining and bonding one with the other, so too, do your life forces, becoming as one."

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Iseldir turns to Merlin, who's facing Freya, their hands still bound by the cord.

"Repeat after me: My blood to your blood, my heart to your heart,"

Merlin repeats.

"My life energy, to your life energy,"

Merlin repeats.

"I came to you as your equal,"

Merlin repeats.

"And take your hand by my own free will,"

Merlin repeats.

"As my mate, my lover, my friend and my equal."

Merlin repeats.

Iseldir then turns to Freya.

"Repeat after me: My blood to your blood, my heart to your heart."

Freya repeats.

"my life energy, to your life energy,"

Freya repeats.

"I come to you as your equal,"

Freya repeats.

"And take your hand by my own free will,"

Freya repeats.

"As my mate, my lover, my friend and my equal,"

Freya repeats.

"With the binding of your hands, I bind the bonds of your love in the presence of the elements of life, to watch over your bond, this day and forever more... Do you both give your oath before and upon the sword of justice to forevermore keep your vows."

"We do." Both Merlin and Freya speak.

"Then a blessing by the elements, fire, water, air and earth, you receive."

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"With the giving of your oath, one to another, we welcome you into a new beginning in life.

A new journey lies ahead of you both, as the bond around your hands join you physically, so both your separate paths join to make one.

Though your beings are separate, both with your own ideas, though, and will, you are now as one.

Together you become one, both working for the good of the union.

May your journey bring you wisdom.

May it strengthen your love for one another and may the energy of life guide you, strengthen you, and shed upon you light and peace, and the courage to journey through life and eternity as one."

Iseldir removes the cord from Merlin and Freya hands and hands them the cord. ''You may now seal you vows with a kiss."

Merlin and Freya kiss.

"May you be blessed as you go forth," Iseldir blessed them with the salt and water. "This day and forever more, life renewed, joined together as husband and wife."

Isolde then walks around the stone circle again. Starting at the east.

"We release and thank thee,

Ancient and mythical element of air,

For your presence and blessing!"

Moving to the south-facing stone, he speaks.

"We release and thank thee,

Ancient and mythical element of water,

For your presence and blessing!"

Moving to the west-facing stone, he continues.

"We release and thank thee,

Ancient and mythical element of fire,

For your presence and blessing!"

Moving to the north-facing stone, he speaks.

"We release and thank thee,

Ancient and mythical element of earth,

For your presence and blessing!"

"The circle is now broken. Friends and family greet and welcome the couple as husband and wife." Iseldir concludes the ceremony.

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**Hey hope you liked that chapter. If that seemed a bit weird, it truly isn't, it's the actual way druid, wiccan and pagan handfastings go :) Only a few more chapters to go and then this story will be finished :)**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	58. Chapter 57

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-eight: Freya Emrys, Queen of the druids.

The wedding ceremony had just been completed and now Merlin and Freya were being led through the trees to where the feast and celebrations were being held. They only had an hour or two at most before they had to return to the tower, but what was a wedding without a celebration? Suddenly the trees thinned out to show a clearing lined with tables.

The tables were covered in flowers, food and drinks. On the far side of the clearing meat was being roasted above a fire and the smell was mouth-watering. Chains of flowers and leaves hung from the trees around the clearing, make it looks like the clearing was roofed by a spiders' web of flowers and leaves. Not far from where Merlin and Freya now stood a group of musicians were preparing to play.

"Wow," Freya gasps. "It's beautiful."

"Just like you." Merlin smiles.

Freya blushes, causing Merlin to smile even more.

"Congratulations," Gwen smiles, as she hugs Merlin. "I'm glad you are finally happy."

Merlin frowns. "What do you mean, Gwen? I was happy before."

"Not this happy, Merlin. You could see it in your eyes, in Camelot, your eyes held a certain sadness and now that's gone." Gwen relies.

Suddenly Taliesin appears beside her. "It's time."

Gwen nodes and gives Merlin another hug. "I have to go, unlike Gaius, Arthur doesn't know I'm gone... A couple of maids are covering for me. I hope see each other again soon."

Before Merlin can say anything Gwen is gone. She had appeared seconds before the ceremony started and had now gone only seconds after it had finished, she hadn't even had time to greet and talk to Freya properly!

"My son," Hunith smiles, pulling Merlin into a hug and kissing his forehead. "I love you my son, you have no idea how happy I am that you have found the happiness you deserve."

Merlin smiles and hugs his mother back. "I love you too, mother."

Hunith turned to Freya, who smiled a small smile upon seeing Merlin and his mother sharing a moment of love. "Freya, my dear, I wish you all the happiness in time... But there are a couple of things you should know, about Merlin..."

"Mother!" Merlin complains.

Suddenly Gaius appears in Merlin's line of sight and Merlin grins from ear to ear.

"Gaius!"

"My boy," Gaius smiles pulling Merlin into a tight embrace. "You never fail to make me proud."

Merlin smiled, as he embraced Gaius back. "I'm glad you made it."

"As am I," Hairs answers. "But I fear Arthur, Gwaine and the knights will never forgive you, for not inviting them to the wedding... Even if their prides' will never let them admit it."

"I wanted them to come, I really did... But much of the magical community are still afraid of Arthur and this was a druid wedding in the heart of a magical kingdom. Some wounds take time to heal, I fear it may be a long time until Arthur is welcome in a kingdom such as this."

Gaius nodes his understanding. "One thing I know for sure, is that your father would be proud... You make us all proud."

"Are you sure your old age isn't affecting you, Gaius? I'm sure you've already said you were proud of me!" Merlin laughs.

Gaius cuffs Merlin over the head lightly, but can't help but smile as Merlin laughs even louder.

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Freya stood outside the throne room, she was dressed in her new royal druid robes and her hair was pulled back from her face. She shifted from foot to foot as she waited for the doors before her to be pulled open and the long walk to where her husband, Merlin Emrys, would crown her, his queen. Freya smiled to herself, yes they had married in Avalon, but the druid wedding was truly the moment Freya realised this wasn't just some dream.

She couldn't be happier, all she had dreamed of from the moment she had met Merlin, was the future they would have together. Merlin had been the first person since her family had died who had shown her kindness simply because they wanted to. The druids had been kind, but it was more for her mother's sake than her own. But Merlin had simply seen a girl in a cage and felt the need to help her from the kindness of his own heart.

Freya blushed slightly. She had been a complete mess when Merlin found her, yet he still believed her to be beautiful. For some reason when he had walked past that cave she had felt drawn to him. She simply thought it was her own way lf pleading for help, but sometimes destined could be funny things. Even when Merlin knew about her curse, he didn't turn his back on her, he tried to help her... He had still loved her.

Looking down at her wrist, she smiled. Around her wrist was a cord of royal blue, gold and silver. It was one of the hand fasting cord from her wedding this morning, the other cord was tired around Merlin's wrist. A simple spell made sure the colour would never fade and the cord would never snap. Smiling Freya twisted the cord around her wrist, she knew already it was going to become a habit, but a comforting one.

Freya looked up sharply as she heard the doors before her creek. Taking a deep breath she straightened her back and smoothed down the front of her dress. She placed her hands, one on top of the other, over her stomach, trying to calm the sudden butterflies she was feeling. She was about to be crowned queen of the druids! Shaking her head slightly, Freya took a calming breath, this really wasn't the time to start panicking.

The cloak of midnight blue she wore, suddenly felt heavy on her shoulders, and the druid crest seemed weight like real silver. What if the druids didn't like her as their Queen? What if she failed them? What is she failed Merlin? He needed someone strong, who could support him... What if she couldn't do that? She was the daughter of a fisherman and a druid women, she wasn't royalty.

Freya takes a deep breath. Merlin was the bastard son of a village healer and a dragon lord... He was by no means royal either, yet the druids loved him as their king and it wasn't only because his was Emrys. Freya shut her eyes for a second, she loved Merlin with all her heart and that alone would give her the strength to support him... Love made you stronger and she knew she could never fail Merlin, she wouldn't be able to live with her self if she did.

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Freya knelt on the steps before the two throne, which now stood side by side in the throne room of the tower. In between her and the thrones, Merlin stood, dressed in his royal robes and trying really hard not to smile at how beautiful Freya had looked walking towards him. As much as the druids and the court were not strict on how he should act, he knew to smile would take the seriousness out of what was about to happen.

Freya kept her head bowed for a second, before looking straight ahead. She too was trying hard not to smile, the pride and love she had seen in Merlin's eyes, as she had walked towards him, was enough to make her want to smile and never stop smiling. But this was important, she was about to swear an oath before the court and she couldn't afford to get this wrong.

"Do you, Freya Emrys, last high priestess of the old religion and the triple god, swear an oath to the gods to serve and protect your people, from this day forth."

"I swear."

"Do you, Freya Emrys, lady of the lake, swear an oath to the gods to show wisdom and kindness in all the acts you do, from this day forth."

"I swear."

"Do you, Freya Emrys, the immortal, swear an oath to the gods to rile this land with justice and mercy and honour in your judgement, from this day forth."

"I swear."

"Then by the power of the gods, I crown three, Freya Emrys, Queen of the druids."

Merlin placed a simple crown of silver upon her head and held out his hands, which Freya gladly took.

"Arise, Freya Emrys, Queen of the druids."

Freya let Merlin pull her two her feet, she walked up the couple of steps and stood beside Merlin. The two of them quickly shared a kiss before turning to face the court. Hunith, Alice and Gaius all stood in the crowd watching with pride and happiness and Merlin couldn't help smile at them, as he gripped Freya's hand. Freya smiled, as she glanced at Merlin. They were finally together and nothing would break them apart, death would no longer separate them and never would.

"Long live the Queen!"

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**Hey, hoped you liked that chapter, next chapter should be up soon. Happy Samhain everyone! Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	59. Chapter 58

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-eight: A home away from home.

Gwaine walked back towards the council chamber from the courtyard, he'd just sent a message to Merlin. He couldn't help but smile, he really should have guessed Merlin had magic long before now. Ever since he had left Camelot the first time, they had stayed in contact…. Gwaine had simply shrugged it off, that Merlin's letters always arrived, even when Gwaine didn't know where he was going half the time.

But magic could do many things, so it was no surprises really. Gwaine grinned as he walked, it seemed the other were yet to find out some facts about Merlin and it seemed he was the only one who knew how to contact Merlin. Thinking about it, Lancelot would have known and so would Gaius, it was after all how his message was delivered that morning.

Reaching the council chamber, Gwaine nodes to the guards, who opened the doors for him. As Gwaine had predicted one of King Sarrum's men were present, checking the room, for what Gwaine guessed to be enchantments. He wasn't surprised really…. Many believed Arthur to be Uthur son, that he would continue Uthur's merciless hunts of those who had magic.

So for Arthur to refuse to sign a treaty his father had signed, would make many believe held been enchanted. Luckily the council hadn't agreed with king Sarrum, but Gwaine was guessing that was only because they had never agreed to the treaty Uthur signed anyway. Clearing his throat, Gwaine got the attention of the man from Amata, who simply glared at him.

"What do you want, knight of Camelot." He sneered.

"My king ordered me to give you a message," Gwaine answered, his tone holding a cold edge. "He didn't want a servant to interrupt any private talks he may have been having."

Gwaine holds out the sealed letter Arthur had written, telling King Sarrum the time the meeting would be restarting and an order not to enter the hall any earlier. This plan of course, wouldn't work, if Merlin couldn't make it. His kingdom after all was going to war tomorrow at dawn. But if this plan did work, it would break Camelot's alliance with Amata and hopefully avoid a war.

Peryglus and Camelot were both allies of Caerleon and there was little chance King Sarrum would start a war with Queen Annis. As the man from Amata snatched the scroll from Gwaine's hand, Gwaine frowned. He still couldn't understand why Sarrum feared Queen Annis and her kingdom so much…. Amata had been to war with kingdoms far stronger than Caerleon.

"Tell you king, knight of Camelot, if any further message are to be sent to King Sarrum, a servant can relieved them."

The man from Amata quickly left the hall to deliver the message to his king, but not before almost knocking Gwaine over on his way out. Gwaine clenched his fists and ground his teeth, getting into a fight would wouldn't help Camelot in any way, yet the man from Amata was just asking for a fight. Gwaine shook his head, some people just weren't worth his time.

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Merlin almost dropped the battle plans he was reading, as there was a tap on the window. Being on the top floor of the tower meant few things could reach such a place, meaning this was one of two things…. It was either a message or Aithusa up to his usual tricks. Merlin rolled his eyes, Aithusa seemed to find it fun to annoy Zafira. So every time Zafira got angry, Aithusa would come flying here, as a place to hide.

Walking over to the window, Merlin quickly opened it, only to find a small roll of paper lying there. Picking up, Merlin quickly unrolled it and read it. Merlin sighed, Arthur wanted to sign a peace treaty to make the peace between the druid and Camelot official. Apparently the kings' word and oath alone were not enough. Shutting the window, Merlin quickly made his way out his room and towards the stairs leading to the lower levels of the tower.

Finally he reached the physician chamber, knocking on the door twice, he pushed it open. Working at one of the benches was Gaius, whilst Freya was sitting at another, reading a book of healing spell. Alice, Hunith and Terrance had left with many of the druids who were making their way to Dinas Sicrhau. Terrance would be staying with the druids during the battle and well away from the fighting.

Alator and Iseldir were also travelling with them, most of the Catha had left that morning not long after dawn, Alator had only stayed to attend Merlin and Freya's wedding. Of course many who could fight had remained behind, they couldn't afford to leave the kingdom unprotected and it was quiet possible the Saxons could be landing on the opposite side of the kingdom to where the main battle was taking place.

Freya would be travelling with Merlin when he left for Dinas Sicrhau with the dragons and Gaius would be returning to Camelot. As much as Gaius wanted to help, he was Camelot's court physician, he couldn't just abandon his place in Camelot. Merlin sighed, the battle against Mordred the dark was going to be a long one he knew that much. This wasn't going to be a battle like one Camelot had faced when King Cenred had sided with Morgause, it wasn't going to be over in one night.

Freya looked up, hearing Merlin sigh and smiled. "Merlin."

"Freya." Merlin smiled back.

Gaius turned round and looked at Merlin. "My boy."

"Gaius," Merlin greets. "Freya and I need to go to Camelot."

"Why?" Freya frowns.

"Arthur wishes to sign a peace treaty with the druids," Merlin answers, running a hand through his hair. "I think it may be due to King Sarrum and the treaty Uthur signed when he was king."

Gaius nodes. "I'll be going with you, I have been gone from Camelot too long as it is…. There are still many who have yet to be treated, for injuries gained in the battle against Morgana and the Southrons."

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Camelot castle stood tall, against the woodland back drop that surrounded its white walls. Merlin couldn't help but be reminded of when he first saw the city, when his mother sent him to Camelot, in hopes Gaius could help him understand and control his magic better. Beside him Freya gripped his hand as she took in the sight of the city.

It was the first time she had truly seen the city. The first time she had entered the city, she had been in a cage, it was late and a storm had been raging. And when she had left, she had been in Merlin's arms slowly bleeding to death and nearly dead. This was the first time she had truly seen the city and it was beautiful. She could understand why Merlin missed living here, the place just felt safe…. Well it would have if this wasn't a place that executed her kind.

Gaius walked a couple of steps behind them, leaning on his walking stick and trying to ignore the aches in his bones. He smiled a small smile, as he watched Merlin and Freya ahead of him. He knew Merlin loved Freya and their love for each other was clear to see. It warmed his heart to see the closest person he had to a son, so happy and so stress free.

Both Merlin and Freya were dressed in plain clothing, they both carried a bag on their shoulders, containing their royal clothing…. They couldn't afford to draw attention to themselves until they were in Camelot. Sarrum wouldn't, hopefully, attack them in the castle, but as long as they were outside the castle and city, he wouldn't hesitate to try and kill them.

Merlin was dressed the same as he always was, he was just back to wearing cloths that were not as rich and well made. Freya was dressed in a plain dress, it was dark green and brown and she had a teal coloured cloak. It was old and thin and hardly held in any heat, but it was light and easy to move it and the hood hung low over her face.

"Do you miss Camelot?" Freya asked, as she noticed Merlin had a far off look.

"What?" Merlin asks. "Oh, I do miss Camelot…. It was my home, but I miss it no more than I miss Ealdor."

Freya nodes. "I understand."

"You miss where you grew up." Merlin mutters.

"I do," Freya answers. "But going back would cause too much pain…. I sometimes find myself missing Avalon and I couldn't stand it there, watching the world and knowing I could only watch."

Merlin smiles a small smile. "Sometimes we miss places and people more than we thought we would before we lost them."

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. I'm so close to finishing this story now, only a couple of chapters to go!**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	60. Chapter 59

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter fifty-nine: Camelot and Peryglus.

Merlin walked down the hall from Gaius quarters, he was dressed in his royal robes and his silver crown. Freya, the moment they had passed the tavern, had suddenly felt ill and had got worse as they passed the entrance to the tunnels the lead below the city. Gaius had simply believed it was Freya, simply remembering what had happened here.

Her body remembered dying and having been given a mortal body back, such a sort time ago, was going to cause a bit of sickness. Plus Freya had been under high levels of stress lately. She had been crowned Queen and was going to leave for battle either that night, or a little before dawn the following day. And so Freya had stayed with Gaius whilst he mixed up a remedy and she would be joining him as soon as she felt well enough.

Merlin sighed, he had signed many peace treaties now and with kingdoms that did not give their alliance easily... But this peace treaty was different. Arthur, when he first became king, would never have signed a peace treaty with the druids. This was a sign the golden age was beginning, it may have already started... Emrys and the once and future king were finally fulfilling their destinies.

Merlin stopped as he reached the bottom of some steps, he was now faced with a choice go left and go to the royal chambers or, go right and go to the council hall. The note from Gwaine had said a peace treaty needed signing, so Merlin turned right and walked towards the council hall. As he passed servant, they smiled and bowed to him and Merlin almost forgot what he was wearing... The last time he had walked this corridor, he was a servant and now he was a king.

After a minute walking, Merlin reached the council chamber. The guards on duty, bowed their heads to him and opened the doors. Merlin couldn't help but be reminded of the many times he had entered this room, trying to stop Arthur from doing something he would later regret... For example killing his father, or killing Elyan when he had been possessed by the druid boy.

Around the council table stood, Leon, Elyan, Arthur, Geoffrey, Gwaine and Percival, who were reading the treaty Geoffrey had just handed Arthur. None of them seemed to have noticed Merlin enter and none of them noticed as the doors shut behind him. Merlin smiled slightly and moved forward, keeping his movement as quiet as possible and using magic to move a chair he took a seat and rested his feet on the table. He grinned as he watched them talk, in undertones, about the treaty.

After a few minutes discussing the peace treaty, Arthur looked up from where he sat and his eyes meet Merlin's. Jumping, he almost knocked his seat over backwards, as he scrambled to his feet. The knights quickly gripped their weapons and turned to face where Arthur was staring, only to find Merlin sitting at the table looking quiet smug and pleased with himself.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Miss me?" Merlin asked, smiling.

Arthur snorts. "No one would miss an idiotic fool, such as yourself."

"Prat," Merlin grins. "So... This peace treaty, I take it, this is some plan do with your guests from Amata?"

"It is." Arthur answers. "But how did you know?"

"Is king Sarrum here?" Merlin asked, ignoring Arthur question.

"I am here, _sorcerer._" A voice behind him spat.

Merlin glanced towards the doors to the hall, which were now open and had King Sarrum standing in the middle of them, Knights on either side of him.

"Oh, good!" Merlin grins, getting to his feet and summoning the objects he had gotten from the abandoned village the Orcs had made their base. What Sarrum had done, by sending his men into Peryglus, was an act of war and Merlin wasn't about to be kind about it.

"I wanted to give these back to you." Merlin throws the objects at him.

Sarrum made no move to catch them as they landed at his feet. He simply looked down at them, before looking back at Merlin upon seeing what the objects were, his face red with rage.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He demands.

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Freya sat at one of the benches in Gaius's chambers, as Gaius sorted through some bottles on one of the many shelves. Glancing round the room, Freya couldn't help but be reminded of Merlin's work room back in Peryglus. There were piles of books, papers and scrolls on every bench, step and shelf. There were hundreds of bottles, all containing different coloured liquids or herbs. Mixing bowls, pots, mortar and pestles littered every work surface, alongside other tools.

As Gaius finally found what he was looking for, he began to make a potion, which would hopefully make Freya feel better. There was a chance the potion wouldn't work, it was not often Gaius had to make potions such as this. It was not often the dead were granted a second chance at life and Gaius had never made this potion before, he had once read about it and once made something similar.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Gaius calls, not turning away from his work.

The door cracked open and Gwen walked in, dressed in the dress she had worn before she had been banished from Camelot. She even had her hair pulled back with the same silver hair clip.

"Gaius I was wondering if you..." Her voice trailed off, as she noticed Gaius was working and not paying the slightest bit of attention to her, he was just paying so much attention to his work.

"What did you need?" Freya asked, remembering Gwen being present at the wedding. "Maybe I can help."

Gwen jumped and turned to face Freya, having not noticed her sitting at one of the benches. "Freya...?"

"That's my name." Freya answered, getting to her feet.

"I know," Gwen answers. "What I mean is, you're Freya... You're dead... I mean obvious you aren't, your alive... But you died... Merlin saved you from a bounty hunter... You were cursed... But Arthur wounded you... The lake Avalon-"

Freya laughs, cutting Gwen's awkward stuttering off. "I was dead, but now I live once more. The Sidhe elders granted me a second chance at life, now mine and Merlin's life forces are bound together. Merlin did save me and I was cursed... Arthur did wound me and Merlin took me to the lake of Avalon where he laid me to rest and I became the Lady of the lake."

"I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen." Gwen quickly introduces herself, remembering at the wedding the two hadn't had time to speak to one another.

"I know," Freya answers. "Merlin has told me a lot about you... You were he first friend when he came to Camelot and you didn't turn your back on him when you learnt about his magic, you are his best friend and the once and future Queen."

Gwen smiles. "Merlin is my best friend, too... But so many things have changed."

"Just because things have changed doesn't mean your friendship has to, too." Freya answers.

"When we were both servants, it was different," Gwen shakes her head. "Now Merlin is king of the druids, a royal..."

"And you are soon to be crowned Queen of Camelot... Things may have changed, but they have changed for you both. You are still equals and friendship is a strong bond."

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Merlin laughed a cold, bitter laugh. "You know fine well what the meaning of this is, Sarrum."

"YOU KILLED MY MEN!" Sarrum yells.

"THEY ENTERED MY KINGDOM! THEY KILLED MY PEOPLE! THEY DESTROYED VILLAGES!" Merlin yells, almost glad at the way Sarrum flinched back, plus Merlin had created Peryglus, so it was his kingdom really and he would do anything to keep it safe. "You sent your men into my kingdom, that is an act of war Sarrum... Luckily for you, we have more important matters to be dealing with, or otherwise your kingdom would have found itself little more than a pile of ash by now!"

It was true once the news spread of King Sarrum's men enter Peryglus, many had wanted revenge... And not just for this attack, but for many things the king had done it the past. They hated Sarrum, some more than they hated Uthur. Merlin knew without a doubt, if it wasn't for their war with Mordred the dark, King Sarrum castle would be little more than dust.

"YOU DARE TO THREATEN MY KINGDOM!" Sarrum yells.

"It is not I, who started this Sarrum," Merlin replied. "It was you. What you did was an act of war, you have threatened my people, my kingdom... Be glad war has not been declared."

"You killed my men, _sorcerer, _this means war!"

"I am warning you Sarrum, if you start a war with my kingdom, you will not win." Merlin replies. "I can promise you this: You or your army set foot in my kingdom. You. And. They. Alike. Will. Not. Return."

Sarrum was shaking with rage. "I'll make you pay for killing my men, _sorcerer_."

Before Sarrum can so much as order his men to attack Merlin they all fall to the floor, unconscious.

"And I can promise you this, Sarrum: You harm a single hair on my husband body, and you will pay dearly."

King Sarrum turned round and came face to face with an angry looking Freya, dressed in her royal robes and looking far better then she had when Merlin left her with Gaius. She then calmly made her way over to Merlin and the two entwined their fingers as they joined hands, standing side by side and radiating power.

"As for your men," Freya continues. "We did not kill them."

"Then who did?" Sarrum demands, not looking as brave now all his men were unconscious.

"Those we are at war with, killed them." Merlin answers. "Our kingdom is at war... Unfortunately Orcs do not know the difference between one human and another, they have simply been given orders to kill any humans who cross their path. Your men we dead long before we found them."

King Sarrum gave Merlin and Freya one last angry looking before storming out the hall and yelling for the guards to pick up his unconscious men. Merlin and Freya then turned to face Arthur, Geoffrey and the knights. Arthur and the knights were staring at Merlin and Freya in shock, partly because of what had just happened and partly because this was the first time they had seen Merlin's wife. Whilst Geoffrey seemed honoured he'd seen such a powerful display by Emrys and the Lady of the lake.

"Where were we?" Merlin asks, with a sheepish smile.

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**Hey, hope you liked that chapter. I know Merlin and Freya may have appeared a little dark in that chapter, but I wanted to show that Merlin and Freya are not weak and if you threaten the lives of those they care about, you will pay. Until next time,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


	61. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Epilogue:

After Arthur and the knights got over the shock (which involved quiet a lot of stuttering and stupid question being asked on Arthur's and knights' part) that Merlin could be quiet scary when he wanted too and had just threatened king Sarrum, destroyed the treaty between Camelot and Amata, just like Arthur wanted and made sure King Sarrum didn't declare war on Peryglus, well he could... He just wouldn't like the consequences.

Merlin and Arthur both singed the peace treaty, between Camelot and the druids. And Merlin warned him, it could be a long time before Peryglus formed a treaty with Camelot. A lot of the people who lived in Peryglus had been wronged by the Pendragon family. Even if they didn't blame the sins of the father on the son, Arthur had made many mistakes and done many wrongs to the magical community.

Before Merlin and Freya returned to Peryglus, Geoffrey offered to write and record Merlin's adventures in Camelot. Merlin for his part was surprised. He never really thought his adventures were worthy of being written about. He had simply done what he had to, to protect his friends and the people they cared about. But he had done many amazing things, so he agreed to return to Camelot in order to help Geoffrey.

The following dawn, Peryglus went to war with Mordred the dark on the plains of Camlann. The battle raged for seven day and seven nights. The battle only ended when Merlin destroyed Mordred the dark.

**Day One:**

Dawn light was only just visible in the sky to the east, a thin layer of cloud covered the sky and a weak wind whistled through the plains.

Every man, women and beast stood ready for Mordred's attack.

Magic and metal would fight side by side in this battle and they would be victories.

The distant sound of marching feet filled the air, Mordred's forces were on there way.

Across the plain where Mordred's forces marched, an army of Orcs were making there way towards Dinas Sicrhau and the mountains that stood behind it.

In a cave high above the Dinas, Merlin stood watching. A sword in hand, he just watched, waiting for the first sign of the enemies approach.

Deeper in the cave Zafira lay waiting for Merlin to signal the battle was beginning.

As Mordred's forces finally reach the Dinas, a horn sounds, as the sound echoes everyone readies there weapons ready for the battle to being.

Zafira joins Merlin at the mouth of the cave and they watch as they battle begins below them.

Archers in the Dinas and in the mountains, fire their first round of arrows at the enemy.

The sky seems to darken with their arrows, as they rain down on the enemy.

Raising his sword above his head, Merlin takes one last look at the enemy as Zafira roars a stream of fire into the sky.

High in the mountains a roar sounds, seconds later a black blur drops from one of the caves and dives straight for the enemy.

Merlin lies flats against Zafira's back, as the shower the enemy in flames. As they pull back towards the sky, a war cry sounds and the battle truly begins.

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**Day Two:**

Sefa gripped the bow in her hands, she was ready for the next wave of attackers.

Beside Sefa, Kara stood watching the enemy approach, the row of archers in front of them fire.

Pulling arrows from their quivers, both Kara and Sefa prepare to fire.

But before they have a chance there is a mighty roar form above and Kilgharrah swoops down and showers the enemy in hot orange flames.

Everyone draw their close combat weapons and prepare for the enemy advancing through the flames.

With a deafening war cry the enemy are upon them and on both sides people are falling.

Sefa and Kara are soon forced to fight back to back as the enemy close in.

As Kara kills yet another enemy, she hears a gasp of pain from behind.

Sefa looks down at the sword, which was stabbed through her middle and she only just has the strength to kill her enemy before she falls to the ground.

Kara lets out a cry as she watches Sefa fall to the ground.

Turning she is quick to kill the last of the enemy that surround them, before dropping to Sefa's side.

Pressing he hands to Sefa's wound, Kara tries to recall a healing spell strong enough to heal such a wound.

Suddenly she is being pulled, as a healer kneels down beside her wounded friend.

Kara turned towards the plains of Camlann, she was going to make them pay, even if it was the last thing she ever did.

**Day Three:**

Gilli's grip on his sword tightened, as he watched the battle below him unfold and he couldn't help but be glad they had dragons on their side.

Bercilak stood beside him, ready for the battle, he like so many others had been healed of previous injuries, so were ready for battle, but that didn't stop the slight pain he still felt.

Three days this battle had lasted now, but neither side seemed to winning and Mordred's forces didn't seem to reduce in number... If it continued like this for much longer, Mordred would win.

All around them the sounds of battle sounded, even above them, high in the sky battles were raging and a mighty storm was gathering.

Strikes of brilliant white lightning rained down on the advancing enemy, causing Gilli to glance round.

Standing on a ridge over looking the battle stood Merlin, staff in hand and looking ever bit the powerful warlock he is.

With a war cry, Gilli, Bercilak and the army around them charged towards the battle below them, sliding down the ridge and throwing themselves into the fray.

They would win this battle, Gilli was sure of it... They were going to win, they had to.

As Bercilak cuts through the enemy like they're water, he knows if they fail to win this battle, no one will be able to save Albion... Not even Emrys could stop an army of this power by himself.

The enemy continue to fall as they battle there way forward, lightning takes care of those to strong to be killed by swords and magic alone and for the first time that day, it finally seemed like the enemy was reducing in numbers.

Bercilak forced his sword through the breastplate of an Orc, before spinning as an explosion echoed around them, the ridge where Merlin had been standing was completely destroyed.

Gilli's eyes widen as he sees Morgana standing ahead of them, a wicked grin and mad hair, make her look all the more terrifying... Gilli knew Merlin hoped that some of the old Morgana had remained, even though she had been possessed and maybe just maybe, she wouldn't attack her own kind, but it seemed luck wasn't on their side today.

As yells to fall back sound, Bercilak cannot help but feel this battle was about to take a turn for the worse and he had no doubt Merlin was going to be at the centre of it... Morgana hated Merlin, Mordred knew Merlin was the only one capable of winning this battle and Morgana was possessed by Mordred's sister, who just happened to hate him too.

Morgana's wicked laugh echoes after them as they fall back, but is suddenly cut off as a single bolt of lightning strikes the ridge around her.

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**Day Four:**

Hunith was working as fast as she could, treating and cleaning as many wounds as she could.

But it wasn't enough, so many casualties were being bought in, the healers were finding it hard to treat and save those who truly needed the help the most.

Outside there is a mighty explosion, the ground shakes.

The enemy is getting closer.

As Hunith finishes treating one women wound, a cry goes up for help in the court yard and Hunith doesn't hesitate to offer her help.

Entering the court yard, Hunith is meet by the sight of hundreds of injured people.

But she can not turn her gaze away from the young women, sitting among the injured.

It was Freya.

Forgetting all about the people around her, Hunith makes her way towards Freya and quickly checks her for wounds.

Freya is quickly to wave Hunith off, telling her there were people with far worse injuries then her and she was more than capable of healing herself.

As Hunith makes her way towards those with more serious injuries, she doesn't even notice that, which is about to seal her fate.

An explosion rips through the air and Freya turns, just in time to see Hunith and the left side of the courtyard be engulfed in flames.

Suddenly she no longer on the ground, as arms wrap around her.

Merlin holds her close as Zafira pulls clear of the flames, which had claimed the life of his mother.

**Day Five:**

Daegal stood watching the battle from one of the Dinas' many windows, the glass had long since been blown out and pieces of shattered class littered the floor of the hall.

The battle had been raging for five days now and neither side seemed any closer to gaining the victory they wanted.

Tyr hurried down the hall towards where Daegal stood, as he joined Daegal he looked out the window and shuddered slightly as he remembered the injury that had bought him and Daegal here.

Below them half the courtyard was a mass of black scorch marks and ash, the other half was a mass of collapsed wall and broken stone.

The spell which had caused all the damage, had used so much magic, you could still feel the dark energy in the air... But it had killed many of Mordred's sorcerers in the process, but that did nothing to dull the sense of loss that hung in the air.

Neither Daegal or Tyr had seen Merlin since the day before, his mother had been killed in the courtyard below them and Freya had nearly suffered the same fate.

Shaking his head Daegal turned away from the window, his mother had died, he knew the pain Merlin must be feeling... But in the heat of battle Merlin had no one to support him and offer him comfort.

Freya was with him, that Daegal knew, but she would no doubt would be as upset as Merlin was and just as shaken as the others who had survived that powerful a spell... It was pure, corrupted magic.

Glancing at Daegal, Tyr tried not to think about the pain Merlin must be suffering... He didn't know what he would have done if it had been his mother and he'd been unable to save her.

Hunith was the only family Merlin had known for most of his life, even his uncle, Gaius, he had not known well until his mother sent him to Camelot... Hunith's death was going to be a hard thing to come to terms with.

As more injured are bought into the courtyard, Tyr watches the healers rush towards them, but for some reason could not move to offer them his help.

Most of the injured were taken straight to the druids, who had set up medical camps higher in the mountains... The Dinas was no longer safe.

A roar sounds and the great dragons shadow passes over the courtyard, the orange glow of flames lights the sky beyond the Dinas' walls, as the great dragon rains fire sown on the enemy.

Neither Daegal or Tyr noticed the enemy which approached from behind.

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**Day Six:**

Alator of the Catha, stood tall and proud among the bodies of those he and rest of the Catha had just slain.

Even though they had killed all in their path, the battle was no longer going in their favour.

Their forces were rapidly decreasing in number, while no matter how many they killed, Mordred's forces never weakened or decrease in number.

Finna slowly moved through the bodies, checking to make sure all were dead, they could not afford for one to still be alive and take them by surprise.

As she continued to move through the bodies, she glances up for a moment as the great dragon flies over.

No body had seen Merlin since his mother died, but he hadn't left the battle.

Attack after attack had be thrown at the enemy and all attacks were spells cast by Merlin, Zafira had even come to their aid.

It seemed Merlin was hiding in the shadows, unseen, but always there, saving them, helping them and giving them the will to carry on.

The sky above was still stormy, but the rain only fell on the enemy, even though Morgana had tried change the spell to their favour.

Merlin's magic was strong, he was Emrys after all, but even his magic had it's limits...

Well his magic had no limits, but his body does, using such strong magic for such a long period of time drains the body of energy and Merlin had been powering this spell for days, as well as the magic he used in battle.

Alator turned and watched Finna, she was watching the sky and he knew she was thinking about Merlin.

The one they were all so willing to fight for.

The one they were willing to die for.

**Day Seven:**

Zafira landed on the uneven ground, the area around her was silent and still, in the distance the battle was still raging and they were slowly losing.

Merlin jumped down from Zafira's back and glanced round, this, he was sure, was the where he needed to be.

He stared at the path that run through the base of a narrow canyon, this was the path from his vision, he was sure of it.

Nodding to Zafira, Merlin turned and began the long walk along the path... If he was wrong, his only chance to win this war, was missed.

After walking until his legs burned, he stopped at a door way, the runes covered into the stone were old, but Merlin had no trouble reading them.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it, until the time comes. The way is shut."

Taking a deep breath, Merlin walks through the door way and into the darkness.

Above him, hundreds of skulls hanging from old ropes and chains, hang.

As he passes below them, they seem to move, as if watching him.

A shiver runs down his spine, as hollow screams echo around him, the dead that could find no peace... The dead how could not enter the other world.

All who haunted here, were those killed by Mordred, their powers taken from them and their blood spilled.

Up a head there was a light, a way out, a way to end the battle and a way to defeat Mordred the dark.

A way to help the dead rest in peace and a way to help the living, too.

Finally reaching the second door way, Merlin stops for a second, before continuing on his mission and behind him, the dead follow.

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**Hey, hope you liked that. I finally completed this story! Look out for Arthur's Bane - Part one, I'll be putting it up soon. Until then,**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


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